WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2019 - A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Yup, it’s been a quiet couple of weeks on here and it’s over two months since the festival ended now but this is the last one (I can hear the collective sigh of relief) so let’s finish this bad boy off and we can get back to your regularly scheduled service (yeah, I’ve got no idea what that is either).

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
Dir. Marielle Heller / Dur. 107 mins / Country. USA
Festival Strand:- BFI Patrons’ Gala
In A Nutshell:- A national treasure in the States but relatively unknown over here, Tom Hanks portrays children’s entertainer Mr Rogers in a slightly different take on the biopic.

The Good:- It’s quite possibly the film that is needed in these times of doubt, fear and uncertainty. Fred Rogers was an optimistic figure whose cuddly image belied a willingness to tackle complex issues for children (during his time, he referenced news events like Kennedy’s assassination in a way that children would be able to relate to). He was a beloved figure by millions so who better to convey that sense of innate trust to viewers than Tom Hanks? The film wisely eschews the more traditional biopic route, choosing instead to focus on the impact that Mr Rogers has on a journalist assigned to report on him. It’s an unashamedly feelgood film but it hits the right note.

The Bad:- There is one moment (I don’t want to say too much as it’s best to go into it cold) where I can see what the director was trying to achieve but I’m not sure that it was one hundred percent successful but that’s really a minor niggle.

The Verdict:- An uncynical feelgood film is not usually something that would score highly on my list but you would have to possessed of a heart made of absolute flint not to be charmed by this. It’s the sort of role that Tom Hanks is perfectly designed for and I defy you not to feel warm and fuzzy by the end of it.

The Venue / Intro / Q&A:- The Embankment Garden Cinema for the last time*. Director Marielle Heller was on hand for the post-film Q&A. She talked about not wanting to cover the standard biopic ground given that recent documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? Had covered it so well; she sees this filmas a companion piece to the documentary (I’d agree - I watched the documentary first and am glad that I did so that I had some context). The puppets were created and performed by henson puppeteers (but of course). One scene in the film has a number of the real life people from Fred Rogers’ life in the background which is a nice little touch.


*Alright, technically the penultimate time but, as I've switched the order on the last two reviews, this is the last time.