A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood brings nostalgic memories to viewers
The movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood starring Tom Hanks on the life of Mister Rogers (Fred Rogers) is more than just a look back at Roger’s popular children’s and family TV show of 895 episodes that began in 1968 and ended in 2001. It offers a fascinating and captivating story about how Rogers’ life impacted people
By Aaron Hanania
A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood, the feel-good movie of the decade brings viewers into a world of their childhood past.
Tom Hanks portrays the human side of Fred (Mister) Rogers by showcasing the human side of the acclaimed children’s tv show host.
The movie is based on a 1998 Esquire magazine feature on Fred Rogers. Throughout the parallel story, Rogers’ human side is brought out to life by a family who is facing many of the conflicts Rogers showcased in his television show.
Part of what made Fred Rogers into an icon was his ability to connect with children and explain very big world issues to them in a way they would understand.
In 1964, Rogers iconically spoke to the children of America about the Kennedy assassination. He was the first children’s tv show host to cover such impactful topics.
Hanks portrayal of Rogers stuck home for many of the viewers who remember watching Mr. Rogers on television.
“Hanks truly brought me back into childhood. That moment of silence really hit home,” a viewer said upon exiting the theater.
The moment of silence they referred to was easily the most impactful moment in the entire movie Hanks embodies the moment from the 1997 Emmie Award Ceremony where Rogers asked for ten seconds of silence.
In the movie, Hanks asks the reporter to take one minute to think about everyone who loves him and who made him into who he was. Symbolically, all of the other patrons in the diner went silent as well as the patrons in the movie theater.
Those moments of silence hit home with me too because it shows how much respect people have for Fred Rogers. A theater full of people sat silent for a full minute to think about something a portrayed Rogers asked of them two decades later.
Sadly, as the movie points out, all things come to an end but it’s what me make of the end that matters. After all, “fame is just a four letter word. It’s no different than zoom or face. What matters is what we do with it.” According to Rogers, life and death are just like fame…. it is about loving everyone and everything before it’s gone. Because, “often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” – Mr. Rogers.
Hollywood has made it evident that great things can happen and that there are great people out there. Mister Rogers was one of them. Sadly, Rogers lost the battle with stomach cancer in 2003, but his legacy lives brighter than ever. He came into American television three decades before his last show, and he remains our forever neighbor.
It truly is a beautiful day in the movie theater.
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