A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

WHY “A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD” JUST MAY BE MY FAVORITE MOVIEAs far as movies go, I'm a geek.I love me some Lord of the Rings and (mainly the original) Star Wars, and Braveheart was always up there, too--But I have to say that "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" might just be my very favorite movie ever, along with another I'll mention here--"Finding Joe" a documentary on Joseph Campbell, the originator of the Hero's Journey concept and the one who said, "Follow your bliss."These are my favorites because movies can affect our lives. They move way beyond entertainment and at least for me, they truly inspire me to be a better person.No spoilers if you haven't seen it!The movie was a bit sappy, a little formulaic and predictable. But as Mr. Rogers would say, "...and that's okay."What was great is that it was honest about this amazing man, and how he chose to live.To tell you the truth, I didn't really watch Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood as a kid. I found it a little boring, and by the time I saw it, the whole puppet thing had lost its appeal--But--what failed to strike my imagination as a kid from a broken home, now inspires me as a better way to live.Here are a few of the concepts from the movie that I had to break out my phone and type out on Evernote as the credits were rolling:*THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSONThe most important person...is you. It's the person with whom I'm talking. Mr. Rogers displayed that in the movie (and in real life), but paying such close attention to whoever was talking--whether that was a three-year-old or a celebrity. He did it for adults, kids, and always made whomever he was with feel extraordinarily special. We can all learn from that.​​*IF IT’S HUMAN, IT’S MENTIONABLEMr. Rogers brought up topics like death, divorce, and war on his show--because they are all human conditions.He didn't shy away from them, and gave the kids the truth, but painted in a way that could help them make sense of tragedy.One of my favorite lines of his was, "Look for the helpers."That's the advice his mother gave to him when seeing scenes of a disaster. That's just so comforting...and there will ALWAYS be helpers, those good-hearted people who try to make things better even in the worst situations we can imagine.​​*I’M NOT A HERO (OR A SAINT)Fred Rogers was a minister. He helped build Public Television. He inspired millions of kids, to help make them more kind, compassionate, and loving.But he refused to think of himself as a hero.He maintained a modest lifestyle, he never boasted and made each moment about others whom he was with.That kind of humility is just really inspiring, and truly a lost art form in the age of social media and the sound byte.But, yes, you were definitely a hero, Mr. Rogers.He also acknowledged hard times while raising his son, losing his usually unflappable cool, and never put himself on a pedestal. He was called a Saint by many, and always denied it...but of course, that's what a Saint would do.​​*”AND THAT’S OKAY.”This three-word phrase promoted tolerance in the simplest, most effective way there is.He often said these words to kids who were feeling complex emotions, who were hurt, angry or confused. He told kids it was okay to have human emotions...to cry, to yell, to let it all out.He made it okay to feel what we were all feeling.​For us as adults, it's okay for people to have different opinions.There's a lot of name-calling and demonization in politics these days. But you know what? We have different ideas often...and that's okay.​​*PRAY FOR LOVED ONES BY NAMEI'm particularly fond of this one, as my granddad, whom we called Pe-paw did it--and inspires me to do the same. There's just something very sweet about that.I get teary-eyed when I think of my Pe-paw praying for me by name as a kid.I always drew a lot of comfort from that, and I remember specifically being bullied in the 4th grade and knowing my granddad prayed for me, saying my name...it helped a lot some days.Mr. Rogers did that, too. And that says so much for his character.​​*CARRYING A BURDENWhen asked if he felt that he "carried a burden," Fred deflected the question.It had to be hard being in the spotlight for decades, dealing with fans that always wanted a piece of his attention and time...of leading kids through responsible ways of acting year, after year.But he never seemed to complain. No matter how hard it was, he considered his position as a privilege and an honor. It was hard--it had to be, yet he would never ask for nor want sympathy.​​*WE’RE ALL STILL LITTLE KIDSFred often saw people as the children they once were, and in many ways, still are.I know I still feel like a kid, and often act like one. And I bet you do too, sometimes.If you harbor resentment for someone (even yourself), think of them as a child. We were all children, once.Sometimes, when I find my Inner Critic being particularly harsh or I'm feeling down about myself...I remember myself as a child. I think of that smiling, sometimes sad little blonde-haired boy, and I know he wouldn't want me to be so hard on myself.It's a little like the adage, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle we know nothing about."*BANG THE PIANO. POUND SOME CLAY. SWIM AS HARD AS YOU CAN."We are trying to give the world positive ways to deal with their feelings."These are the right ways to take out anger, frustration, and sadness.We don't need to do it with each other. Life is sometimes freaking hard, and bottling up emotions isn't the best way to deal with it. But you can bang the piano sometimes. That can help.​*YOU ARE PRECIOUS, AND I LIKE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.I think he actually said this in the movie, and maybe it was to an adult."I think that the best thing we can do for people is to let each one of them know they are precious."You know what? We are ALL precious, and you shouldn't feel the need to conform or hide what makes you different.As adults, we see simplistic statements like this and get all cynical and defensive--but it's absolutely true.This kind of unconditional love for others...that's really where it's at. We can all strive to have this kind of attitude and caring for others.​​*PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOVED YOU INTO LOVINGOne of my very favorite moments of the movie is when all dialogue stopped, and no one said a word for one whole minute after Fred encouraged us to think of, "people who have loved you into loving."Okay, I know this is a post and you have some stuff to do--but I challenge you to do this.Set a timer for one minute, close your eyes, and think of people who have given you love in your life, and helped to make you the person you are, whether they're still here with us or if they've moved on from life.Come on! Have a little courage and do it.Once you do--you can realize just how powerful and touching this is.~~~~And those, my friend, are some of the reasons I loved this movie.I hope if you haven't seen it, you'll give it a shot. After writing this, I want to go and see it again.With that, I hope you are doing better than well. Remember that you are precious and I like you just the way you are, too!Chip Franks 💙👍

Fred McFeely Rogers, also known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001; This program was critically acclaimed for focusing on children's emotional and physical concerns, such as death, sibling rivalry, school enrollment, and divorce.A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say ... Hero?" published in Esquire. The film stars Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Chris Cooper. It depicts Lloyd Vogel (Rhys), a troubled journalist for Esquire who is assigned to profile television icon Fred Rogers (Hanks).If one thing can be for certain, Tom Hanks was by far the perfect casting choice for that of Mr. Rogers. I don't just say this haphazardly: his widow has said so herself. A gleaming ball of optimism and charisma: the features that have made Rogers a cultural icon make their appearance with a nuanced and dedicated performance. On a more personal level the casting of Hanks is also rather self-referential. Having been active in Hollywood since the year 977 Hanks also has some notoriety of its own in a way that remains modest and untouched by the temptatious grasp of vanity or self-importance. Noted during interviews as “the role that terrified him the most” it is with great pleasure that I can echo the praise he has since received for it.(Fun fact(s): Rodgers and Hanks are distant cousins (6th cousins to be exact!) and Hanks is noted by his widow as being one of Rodgers’ favorite actors.)Funny thing I must admit - I feel very personally connected to Rogers despite not having any concrete memories of watching his program (and the person I was watching this with shared the exact same sentiments, so I know it’s not just me!).Heller seems to be aware of this possibility and utilizes the smallest features to conjure feelings of nostalgia. Hanks adorns Rogers’ playfully memorable sweaters ( and some of his neckties provided by Mrs. Rodgers!). The environment and set design changes in ways that reflect and mimic those made on 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔' 𝑵𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅. And how can we forget his distinguished collection of Puppets? Meticulously recreated by the same team responsible for the design of the Muppets often seen on Sesame Street: the dedication to authenticity is easily appreciated and adored.Certainly: any person seated next to Rogers would be unfairly juxtaposed. Contrasting sharply in their approach and perspectives it is a wonder how Vogle isn't villainized as someone that is blinded by his own cognizance. ‘A Beautiful Day’ actively draws from an endless well of empathy (It's what Fred would have wanted, I'm sure) and paints Vogle for what he really is: an individual that is unwillingly jaded and ultimately deserving of our understanding and sympathies. His seemingly overnight transformation may seem partially suspended from reality, but the messages regarding the potential for change that can follow the tiniest of gestures (Like Rodger’s sheer interest in Vogle) shines through with a touching dose of genuineness that quashes any remnants of cynicism or glooming negativity.As with many biographical dramas ‘A Beautiful Day…’ does take some creative liberties of its own, but this is not done in an exaggerated or overzealous manner. Vogel’s real life counterpart is named Tom Junod, and this was altered due to a request made by Junod himself (he felt a pseudonym was appropriate since his impression was that this film is intended to be more about Mr. Rogers than it is about him). The tumultuous relationship Junod had with his father in addition to his abrasive reputation portrayed are also rooted in fact (albeit overemphasized) as is the admiration and friendship alluded to between Junod’s wife and Mr. Rogers preceding his death in 2003 following a diagnosis of stomach cancer the year before. It is worth mentioning that Rogers appearing like a foreign entity to Junod is due in part to the fact that he is originally from Wales (and, thus, didn't grow up watching him on TV) but the exemption of this information is understandably justified. In a piece written for 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒕𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄 after watching this film, Junod commented on the depiction of the bond he had and would grow to share with Mr. Rogers with approval:“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒆 … 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒖𝒔, 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍, 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆, 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅”.On the surface ‘A Beautiful Day’ seems as if it is not much more than a faithful doppelganger of sorts. Reflected in the steps taken to portray Rogers accurately - his legacy is epitomized to a brag-worthy extent.In a more impactful way, however, ‘A Beautiful Day…’ demystifies Rogers’ truth: that life isn't simply a collection of extremities but rather a concatenation of them. That what is good and bad have a way of wrapping themselves inside of one another in a way that isn't easily detached or should be carelessly ignored.We all have our own insecurities: about our lives, our abilities, and the way our own existences matter in the grand scheme of things.Mr. Rogers wouldn’t think that you’re perfect. More importantly though, he wouldn't believe for a second that you need to be flawless to be valuable.And if even only for a second: at least agreement becomes a mere possibility.Sufficiently hurt forever,We never deserved Mr. Rodgers.“𝑰’𝒎 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓: 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆.”

It is a sermon. In essence it is a sermon on the commandment "Honour thy father and thy mother".Tom Hanks plays the American young children's tv presenter and Presbyterian minister, Fred Rogers. The film starts in a strange manner, at least for someone like myself in the UK who had never heard of Fred Rogers before seeing this film, but I stuck with it because it starred Tom Hanks, and I am delighted I did stick with it.The film is a feel-good story about a son called Lloyd Vogel falling out big time with his Dad called Jerry Vogel, who then gets back together with his Dad before his Dad dies with the help of Fred Rogers.I thought that Jerry made Lloyd's job easy by being willing to apologise in a sincere and fulsome manner for his misdeeds. In real life parents who misbehave badly tend not to apologise to their children, (or at least I haven't come across any who do), but, fortunately, in many instances do manage a reconciliation nonetheless before they die. There is a hint in this film that people also fall out with siblings, which, of course, they do, but, as this film makes clear, every effort should be made get over the differences and make for happy families all round.Whilst this film is unashamedly Christian in its theology, it never mentions the Occult, when, of course, underlying many a major family bust up is the Occult. Where I have looked carefully at similar family bust ups there is almost always someone in the picture somewhere who I have either known to be demon possessed or who I thought highly likely to be demon possessed. In the film everyone comes across to me as being normal, but, based on what I have seen in real life in other families, it seems highly likely that there'll have been someone, somewhere, who'll have been demon possessed and who'll have been the source, if not necessarily the immediate cause, of the family bust up. How you cover that in a film like this is an unknown to me, and in that I'm probably in good company because I think that just about everybody involved in making this film from Tom Hanks down will have agreed with the message being given in this film, and more than one person will have known full well that the Occult plays a major role in many a major family bust up, but it wasn't mentioned once in this film, ever.There are absolutely no naked bums or breasts, which is great. I thought that the warning about bad language and violence made on the dust cover was overblown, and it isn't that some of the scenes are unsuitable for young children, because it was definitely a family viewing film, but rather that young children are unlikely to understand the message that the film is wanting to send out to the world. Then again, I might be wrong about that. Young children can sometimes be remarkably perceptive.In short, a very good film, worth buying and seeing, but I have to wonder if it is going to be watched multiple times by people. Saving Private Ryan it isn't.

フォレスト・ガンプのTom の成長版、優しい物言いが英語でも理解でき、微笑ましい人間愛物語‼️

Back in the 70's when my son was about three or four years old, he began watching "Mr Rogers Neighborhood". I enjoyed watching other children's TV programs, like "Sesame Street" with my son, but when Mr Rogers came on, I'd usually go to the kitchen for coffee. Frankly, the man drove me up a wall. I couldn't believe he was for real. However, one day Mr Rogers discussed thunder storms and how scary they can be. I found myself gravitating toward the TV. My son was terrified of thunder storms so I was curious as to what he would say. I sat and listened to him patiently explain what causes thunder and lightening, and what to do during a storm to stay safe. He always told the kids it was okay to be afraid and they should go and tell their favorite adult. That man had my respect from that day on. Tom Hanks did such a brilliant job of portraying Mr Rogers. I felt that he 'Became' Mr Rogers. The film was done with complete respect to this wonderful man who did so much for everyone who came in contact with him. I was nearly in tears at some of the more touching parts of the film. My husband had never heard of "Mr Roger's Neighborhood". He's more into Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone, but he watched it with me, and loved the movie. I wish I'd had the opportunity to meet Mr Rogers. This is an absolutely brilliant tribute to Fred Rogers, and a really Fantastic Movie!!

Il est rare que tom hanks déçois et ce n'est pas le cas ici. Je n'étais pas sûr au début mais c'est vraiment un bon film basé sur une histoire vraie sur un animateur de télé pour enfant mais donnez lui une chance: ce film vaut vraiment la peine et si vous êtes fan de tom hanks comme moi; vous ne pourrez qu'être satisfait de ce film. Je le recommande!

I bought the dvd, as my friend in USA recommended it. Another good film from Tom Hanks.