Anthony's Film Review - Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

This documentary of the heartwarming Fred Rogers is both a fascinating insight and a wonderful tribute...

Throughout my childhood, I never watched an episode of the children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, although I had heard of it. I also knew that the host Fred Rogers was a kind jolly man who would start each show with a theme song about being kind neighbors before putting on sneakers and a cardigan sweater and proceeding to the activities for the episode. So I cannot say I experienced being a viewer of Mr. Rogers. However, I wouldn't say I was left out. Many years later, during the 50th anniversary year of the start of the show, a documentary film about Fred Rogers and his namesake show would be released in theaters. I took the opportunity to see the film, which not only described Mr. Rogers well but also allowed me to experience, even briefly, being a viewer of the show.

As expected, Mr. Rogers provides a gentle, fun, warm, and comforting show for children. It includes him doing simple activities plus an assortment of puppet characters, including Daniel the tiger and King Friday XIII (yes, Friday the 13th). But he doesn't do it in isolation from the real world. If anything, Mr. Rogers recognizes the real world and uses his show to provide a safe place for children to in a world that he knows is scary and uncertain. Furthermore, certain episodes may provide direct or metaphorical commentary on something in real life. A striking example: Daniel the tiger asking what assassination is, in light of the assassination of Bobby Kennedy in 1968.

To understand Mr. Rogers's show, one must understand who he is, which the film shows nicely. As a child, he didn't have too many friends, and he did spend considerable time alone such that he had to find ways to amuse himself. So he knows very well what it's like to be a child in an uncertain world. Later, he would study childhood development as part of his education. And he's also a Christian who was in a position to become an ordained minister. When you look at all of this together, you can see that Mr. Rogers was the perfect choice to host a children's television show.

What's really great is how the lessons from the show are the kind you would hear from a Christian preacher, yet Mr. Rogers doesn't directly preach the principles at all. Rather, he just shows it through his kind actions. For example, Mr. Rogers is washing his feet in a small plastic pool, when an African-American police officer walks by and Mr. Rogers invites the man to also wash his feet in the same pool. This is a way to teach about racial tolerance without being overt about it. The audience can see that this is a nice thing to do, and they pick up on it. Mr. Rogers also doesn't discuss the likely real-life motivation for this scene: racist treatment of black people.

To give you a sense of how special the show was, the film also briefly provides two montages of other children's TV shows. One shows old black-and-white programs featuring silly antics and slapstick humor. The other shows 1980s TV cartoons, like Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While those other shows may be fun for different reasons, they didn't have what Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood offered: a chance to learn about and feel happy about real life. It was definitely a winning formula, which helped the show have the long run it had, from 1968 to 2001.

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood really is a show for everybody, because its messages of tolerance, kindness, respect, and love are universal. They are something for people of all ages worldwide. Because of this, you may find yourself heartbroken if the world doesn't really embrace these lessons. Late in the film, Mr. Rogers is emotionally distraught over a certain disastrous event in real life, one that made him and his fans wonder if the world was descending into hell. It's sad to think about. Furthermore, the film was released in 2018 just as many bad things in America were taking place. For that reason, I too found myself wondering if the world is forgetting about Mr. Rogers. Really, this film is what everyone really needs to see right now.

Fred Rogers lived a wonderful life, for himself and his family and for everyone else in the world, especially children. He has no doubt left a legacy for future generations, not just his show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood but also this film titled Won't You Be My Neighbor?, which I highly recommend if you want to feel inspired. It'll leave you feeling joyful and maybe tearful. But it will warm your heart for sure. So, in the spirit of Mr. Rogers, I would like to ask you this: won't you be my neighbor, too? This film really does mark a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Won't You Be My Neighbor?, visit the Internet Movie Database.