Jeri
Jacquin
On
Bluray, DVD and Digit to delight and remind us all of our potential from
director Marielle Heller and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is A BEAUTIFUL
DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
Lloyd
Vogel (Matthew Rhys) is a writer who is making a name for himself and it's not
a good one. As no one else will work
with him, Esquire editor Ellen (Christine Lahti) gives him the only assignment
left which is interviewing Mr. Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks). Unhappy with it, wife
Andrea (Susan Watson) reminds him that Mr. Rogers is an icon and to
"please don't ruin my childhood".
Grumpy
about all of it, he meets with Mr. Rogers at the studio where he makes his
children's television show. Watching his interaction with others makes Lloyd
uncomfortable but for more reasons than he is ready to grasp. When it only
lasts a few moments, Lloyd packs up his wife and young newborn son and its off
to sister Lorraine's (Tammy Blanchard) wedding. Also at the wedding his Jerry
Vogel (Chris Cooper), Lloyd's estranged father.
An
outburst at the wedding leaves both Lloyd and Jerry roughed up and at the next
interview with Mr. Rogers, he notices. Talking it out makes Lloyd even more uncomfortable
and can't seem to get away fast enough. That's when Lloyd realizes that things
from his past are interfering with his present life. When Jerry tries to reach
out but he just can't get past his anger.
Throwing
himself into the article, Lloyd watches Mr. Rogers and how he speaks to people,
the life topics he covers and his outlook on life. Trying to grasp it all, a
family issue means that Lloyd might have the opportunity to see firsthand what
Mr. Rogers has been trying to tell and show him about kindness and forgiveness.
Sometimes
we all just need one person to believe in us!
Hanks
as Mr. Rogers is completely stunning and leaves an imprint in the heart.
Because I come from a generation that knew about Mr. Rogers, I cannot think of
one actor besides Hanks that could have done this film. I believe so much in
what Lloyd's wife says about not ruining our childhood and that could have
easily happened. Instead, Hanks reminds us so much of why we embraced Mr.
Rogers and why we hold his and our memories so dear. The calmness in the midst
of so much sadness in Lloyd's life allows us to open our hearts even further to
the story we see on the screen. But do we really expect anything different from
Hanks? He gives us all something to think about through his performances and in
being Mr. Rogers, we owe him that much.
Rhys
as Lloyd is a man who is just living life one moment at a time and it all comes
from a childhood anger that he carries like a bag of bricks. Everyone seems to
give him a pass with the anger he carries for his father but, as with anyone
who lives for anger, the pass is about to expire. He can't fathom how Mr.
Rogers can keep his heart so open to others and feels that "Mr.
Rogers" is a television persona. It's when he puts the bag of bricks down
does Lloyd have a chance to truly connect with those who continue, through it
all, to love him. Of course, Mr. Rogers isn't about to leave Lloyd to do all of
it on his own.
Watson
as wife Andrea accepts Lloyd for the emotional roller coaster he always seems
to be on. With a new baby to tend to, she wants more for her family in the way
of connection and love. It is easy to believe Watson's performance since it is
very similar to Beth from the television drama series This Is Us. Blanchard as
sister Lorraine understands Lloyds anger but in her own life is trying to make
different choices. She may have made her own mistakes (such as marriages) but
Blanchard shows a forgiving nature in the midst of it all.
Cooper
as dad Jerry is rough around the edges and not very good at showing remorse or
affection. Lloyd can't even look at him without remembering pain and Cooper
plays a man who is not only dealing with issues but trying to find a way of
saying 'I'm sorry'. Cooper has the amazing ability of playing roles that have
so much depth to them once you get past the gruffness as with Jerry.
Other
cast include: Maryann Plunkett as Joanne Rogers, Enrico Colantoni as Bill
Isler, Wendy Makkena as Dorothy, Noah Harpster as Todd, Carmen Cusack as Margy,
Maddie Corman as Lady Aberlin and Daniel Krell as Mr. McFeely.
Sony
Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for
television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia
Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films
and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home
entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.
MOVIES
ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With
that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device
using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit
www.MoviesAnywhere.com.
The
Special Features include Over 15 Minutes of Additional Scenes, Blooper Reel,
Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, The People Who Make a Neighborhood: The Making Of,
Dreaming Big, Building Small: The Puppets & Miniatures, Daniel Tiger
Explains: Practice Makes Perfect and Filmmaker Commentary.
A
BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD is not exactly what I expected. Yes, it's
about Mr. Rogers and yet it isn't. It is Lloyd Vogel's story about Mr. Rogers
and how spending time with him changes everything. Then again most of us
already know that it can happen because, as with my own experiences, it has
before.
Mr.
Rogers embraces Lloyd, whether he likes it or not, to try and show that we need
one another. Being patient isn't something Lloyd seems to have but it is
something Mr. Rogers seems to have in abundance. The two most unlikely people
to come together happens slowly throughout the film - and mainly due to the
persistence and belief from Mr. Rogers.
Watching
Rhy's Lloyd go through his struggle is at times heartbreaking and Hanks as Mr.
Rogers almost encourages us to feel that heartbreak. There is acceptance and
forgiveness in each frame of the film and, to be honest, it also felt as if we
didn't we would let down Mr. Rogers!
It
is the perfect time of year for A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD and for
reasons that are plain but I'll go ahead and mention them anyway. This is a
film about listening to one another, offering help in any way that would ease
pain, be there for those we love, forgive just as easily as we hold grudges and
always embrace a couple of seconds longer just so the people we care about know
that they are not alone.
In
the end - we could all use a little kindness!
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