A reminder of what it's like to live in a world without kindness, "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" shows us the importance of being a better person. It's about a cynical journalist finding the importance of what it's like living in a world with love and kindness with the help of Mr. Rogers.
The film starts with an opening shot of the animated cars and city life, and then starts off with Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) welcoming us into his "home." The whole opening scene was played as if it was an episode of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." It continues to follow this theme whenever the story has any transitions, the whole movie feels like a long episode of the show.
It follows the story of journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) and his struggle with seeing the good in people and life. The first look into Vogel's life makes the audience realize that he struggles with a lot and doesn't seem to like to talk about it. The thing is, Vogel is a successful investigative journalist but nobody seems to like him. His cynical view on life has created a barrier in his personal life and his work life, when it once used to be the reason why he was such a great journalist in the first place. The best thing to happen to Vogel is when he's forced to write a profile on Fred Rogers, although he isn't too happy on hearing this he agrees because he'll use any excuse to escape the struggles of his own family. Lloyd leaves his home in New York and pursues the story on the set of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
After meeting Fred Rogers, Vogel is even more skeptical about Mr. Rogers because of his good nature. Mr. Rogers continues to keep in contact with Vogel and calls him to multiple events he has. While Vogel gets to know Mr. Rogers, he gets frustrated with his quiet and understanding personality. He even asks Mrs. Rogers, "is it hard living with a saint?" In which, she replies that calling him a saint would imply that the way he lives is impossible when in fact he tries very hard every day to be patient and kind. There are many scenes in the movie where the audience feels the same way Vogel feels, frustrated that someone can be this good of a person. When this happens, it's easy to dismiss it by saying that they're just naturally a good person but this movie reminds us that being a good person is hard. You have to try every day to be a good person and that's what's important.
Mr. Rogers essentially helps Vogel realize that everyone gets frustrated and angry but it's how we handle it that makes us the person we are. Vogel takes this new philosophy and applies it to his personal life.
The movie is a reminder to try everyday to be a better person, even if it's the hardest thing you can do. It's a celebration of seeing the good in people and using the time we have to help as many people as we can. The best part of the movie is the last scene where it reminds us that Fred Rogers was also human and he gets frustrated as well. 'It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood' is a beautiful testament to why we need to try to be the best versions of ourselves everyday.
