A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Enjoy a special Friday morning screening of this Fred Rogers tribute movie

The La Mirada Library invites local residents to enjoy a special Friday morning film screening at the library on March 6th at 10 am featuring the Fred Rogers tribute movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

Lloyd Vogel is an investigative journalist who receives an assignment to profile Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers. He approaches the interview with skepticism, as he finds it hard to believe that anyone can have such a good nature. But Roger’s empathy, kindness, and decency soon chips away at Vogel’s jaded outlook on life, forcing the reporter to reconcile with his own painful past.

Sandie Angulo Chen, of Common Sense Media, states “This drama is a poignant, powerful tribute to the man who embodied kindness and love to children and adults for four decades, thanks to Hanks’ fabulous performance. Director Marielle Heller’s (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) second unconventional biographical drama isn’t a straightforward birth-to-death chronicle but rather a fascinating look at how a jaded man who’s highly cynical about father figures and role models learns to forgive, love, and trust more through his growing connection with Fred Rogers. Rhys is well cast as a distrustful Manhattan journalist (his wife, beautifully played by Watson, even begs him “please don’t ruin my childhood”) who slowly realizes that Rogers is the real thing”.

“Despite Rhys’ compelling storyline as the emotionally closed-off Lloyd, this film belongs to Rogers — and therefore to Hanks’ portrayal of the soft-spoken, cardigan-sporting, devout children’s programming creator. Hanks transforms into Rogers without it feeling like a strict imitation. Yes, he captures the essence of Rogers’ speaking voice, walk, and overall demeanor (as far as anyone who watched the series is concerned), but the performance isn’t a carbon copy; it’s an homage. Fred and Lloyd’s relationship leads to personal growth and acceptance, and the movie is full of Rogers’ philosophy about each child, each person being precious. Rogers was indeed an extraordinary man, and the film is a reminder to everyone that generosity, kindness, security, and love are all we really need to be happy”.

Spider-man Far From Home was released in October 2019. The film’s gross box office revenue is over $65 million. MPAA Rating: PG for some strong thematic material, a brief fight, and some mild language.

Click here to discover more about library movie nights like A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and other events happening in the La Mirada community.

Source: La Mirada Library | Common Sense Media