Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
For more than thirty years, and through his television program, Fred Rogers (1928-2003), host, producer, writer and pianist, accompanied by his puppets and his many friends, spoke directly to young children about some of life's most important issues.
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Tied for the best movie I have ever seen
I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
I can not even talk about this movie because I don't want to spoil it for anyone but I will say that Mr Rogers is a very interesting and influential man and I did not even grow up watching his show.
This is probably my favorite movie of the year. I feel so inspired! What an absolutely incredible man!
Maybe it is because I grew up watching that little trolley. Maybe it is because Mr. Rogers' message of love and affirmation was such a powerful part of my childhood. Or maybe there's just something inspiring about a life dedicated to being loved and loving. Regardless, this film deeply impacted me. It was not just the story of a person or a TV show. It was the story of what shapes us (as children and adults) and an invitation to the kind of bravery Rogers embodied...a bravery to hope and care and love and believe. Even in the face of doubts. Even in the face of evil. The filmmaker got what made Rogers' message so important. He left enough space for us to listen, reflect, and remember. And it worked. I wasn't the only one wiping away tears at the end.
"He was a minister...but he didn't wear a collar, he wore a sweater." I've heard it said that Fred Rogers must've been an angel, or even the second coming of Christ. This thinking is dangerous; it relieves us of our responsibility as humans. If he's a God, then we can just admire; if he's human, we must aspire. The movie is a cathartic blanket, and when Daniel the Tiger sings the duet with Lady Aberlin, the crying is constant from there on out. A soothing balm of sincerity and hope for scary and cynical times.