Morgan Neville directs this stunner, a filmmaker who won the Oscar a few years back for another crowd pleaser "20 Feet From Stardom." Why Mr Rogers hasn't been a focus of Hollywood yet is understandable: here was an awkward man with a quiet voice who talked to children as equals. His television program "Mr Roger's Neighborhood" was at one time the longest-running show in TV history, and as one producer reminds us, it had everything going against it. Low production values, cheap sets, an unlikely star...
I was most amazed by the behind-the-scenes peeks we got of the show, and of Fred Rogers himself. There is a thoroughly captivating black and white interview with him sitting by a piano, describing his thought processes on making a show for children in the first place. He talks with such energy, passion for his beliefs... Who filmed it is a mystery, but it provides a candid look at a person we mostly know for zipping up sweaters and changing shoes. The movie mostly follows the chronological timeline of the show, from its first few weeks all the way to his retirement. We meet the show's crew, many of whom were beefy, tattooed men who seem to have no reason to exist in the same realm as Mr Rogers at all. And yet every interview reminds us of the same thing: here was a genuinely caring man.
The behind-the-scenes footage are a great insight, but the more beautiful moments come when we see Mr Rogers actually interacting with the children he came to meet. Rogers became somewhat of a celebrity on the east coast, and we see him having small meetings with a group of children and their parents, with mom and dad filming it all from the back row. We see how gently Fred spoke with these kids, how he used puppets to access their world. There are a lot of cynical people who might view this man as somewhat creepy, but there is such a genuine goodness that radiated from this man that it's hard not to fall in love with him all over again.
Go to this movie if only to be reminded that the world can always use a dose of kindness. In today's political and global climate of fear and divide, this is a wonderfully charming movie about the little things that make all the difference. Fred Rogers certainly didn't set out to change the world, and by the end when PBS called him back to film some segments regarding 9/11, it might even seem like he had given up hope altogether. But keep watching, and we see Mr Rogers give a commencement speech at a college where numerous adults approach him and explain what he meant to them as a child. Or when he filmed a segment with a disabled boy on the program and later reunited with him at the Emmy's 20 years later. It's a tearjerking experience to see someone so kind and so selfless. When I saw this movie in the first few weeks of its opening, the theater was sold out - audience members ranging from children to senior citizens. It was an electrifying experience to watch it with a crowd. Certainly Mr Rogers might have felt like he could have done more by the end of his life, but look at the generations his work has spanned and the joy he brought to so many. To call him inspiring would certainly be underselling his successes.
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