Sister Pat and I went to see, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” which is an uplifting character sketch of Mr. Fred Rogers. The show is based about a feature article published by Esquire magazine, when Mr. Rogers was still alive and on the air. He died at 74 years old of stomach cancer.
The theme of the film deals with the necessity of readiness to forgive and reveals how to deal with anger and other bad “feelings.”
I must confess that if this film is an accurate portrayal of Mr. Rogers, I was wrong about the man. I always considered him too nice and overly gentle and not masculine enough, even though I never watched an episode. Many times, I saw the opening scene of Mr. Rogers coming through the door and changing into his cardigan sweater and sneakers. Then I would turn off the program.
This is a “feel good” show but much more. Fred Rogers had the ability to deal with the issues and crises of life in a simple, yet profound and practical manner by showing us how to overcome bad feelings and not letting such feelings ruin our lives or the lives of others.
Don’t miss this movie. It is a good one to see with your family, no bad language and no sex. Finally, who could ever find fault in the acting of Tom Hanks? Hollywood, when it wants to, can do some really good things. This film is among the best of such genre.