2 more reviews

1. ›Won't You Be My Neighbor? - Movie Review@coldsteem2921d

   

   If you take every rule on how to make television and did the opposite, that is Mister Roger's Neighborhood.

   Fred Rogers was preparing to enter seminary when he television first began to hit the mainstream. While he knew nothing about the medium, he decided he would postpone seminary to produce his own television show in Pittsburgh. That experiment led to Mister Roger's Neighborhood, a television show that defied the rules of television and connected with children around the globe. Won't You Be My Neighbor gives a glimpse into the man behind the show, Fred Rogers. This documentary was directed by Morgan Neville, who also gave us 20 Feet From Stardom a few years back.

   

   I learned a lot from this documentary. First and foremost, PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) was still in its infancy when Richard Nixon was elected president. Nixon was looking to cut the budget and PBS was on the list. During Congressional hearings on funding (20 million dollars worth) for PBS, Senator Pastore of Rhode Island appeared to have little patience for the parade of testimony he was receiving in support of PBS. Then Fred Rogers appeared. Rather than reading his prepared notes, Fred spoke from his heart about the connection his show had with children. Senator Pastore was listening. As Fred wrapped up his brief comments, Pastore smiled and said "I think you just secured the twenty million dollars in funding."

   

   Fred Rogers was a life-long Republican and an ordained minister. In the film, he is listed among the royalty of child behavior experts of his era. The film never mentioned what his degree was in, although they mentioned his plans to enter seminary. He apparently did not have an advanced degree in sociology or psychology. If he did, it was never mentioned. Yet, Rogers was among the elite of that class. His ability to reach kids with issues of his day, his ability to talk about tough issues was incredible.

   

   Won't You Be My Neighbor is delivered through a combination of interviews and historic clips. The film documents key events in the history of the television show, to include the Robert Kennedy assassination, segregation and the Vietnam war. The film also documents Rogers' brief foray into television for grown-ups, which was not well received. The film gives a sense that Rogers was in a constant struggle with his own relevance, odd for a man whose relevance was measured in the millions of children whose lives he left an indelible impression on. The film also examined some of the external issues and negativity associated with Fred Rogers. Was he homosexual? No. Was a character on the show homosexual? Yes. Did he tell that actor he could not visit a gay bar in New York? Yes. The common thread in the film seems to be the warmth and love shared by all of the people who were associated with the show for Fred Rogers. It is genuine.

   

   We could use a lot more of Mr. Rogers in our lives. I stopped using Facebook because of the shrill no-holds-barred hatred spewed there. It is incessant. Facebook has launched a major ad campaign to express how much they dropped the ball, how much they care, how much they intend to change. It's still the nasty place it's been for a while. Facebook thinks the problem is Fake News. And their solution seems to be that they will determine if news is fake or not. The problem was never fake news. It was fake people. People talking to each other in a way they (most people) would never talk to another person in a genuine interaction. Fred Rogers understood that. He talked to children on their level. He believed in concepts like love, kindness and peace. He believed the Golden Rule. Love your neighbor as you love yourself and treat others the way you want to be treated. That is the underpinning of his neighborhood.

   

   Won't You Be My Neighbor earned a surprising PG-13 from the MPAA. I had to actually stop and think about that. How could the MPAA possibly tag this film with a PG-13? It's Mr. Rogers for Pete's sake! I think the rating has to do with the blunt talk about issues like race, death and war. The film also addresses issues like homosexuality and the reaction of some groups toward Mr. Rogers' death. There was also an exposed male posterior shown in the film, used to encapsulate Fred Rogers' sense of humor. The rating still seems strict to me. I wouldn't restrict any age group from seeing this film. We need more of Fred Rogers in the world today, not less.

   

   Won't You Be My Neighbor is an interesting documentary. It has a run time of one hour, 34 minutes. The film explores some of the controversy around the show, as well as Fred Rogers' own struggles. The film provided a great deal of insight into who Fred Rogers was as a person. The universal response in this film seems to indicate that Fred Rogers was the same person in real life that we grew up with on television. He was the genuine article. The film was sluggish at times and missed a few points that I was interested in knowing (such as, what was Fred's formal education regarding child psychology?) We get a hint at that, but not an actual answer. It sounds like he didn't have a formal education in child psychology. Which makes his story more poignant to me. Fred Rogers understood how to communicate with children. He did it effectively, he did it bluntly, he did it without apology. This film does a great job of recounting his story. 7.5/10.

   Trailer and images subject to copyright.

   ▲Upvote

   ReplyPermalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post

   💬 Show comments
2. ›Movie Review: Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)@robmolecule2924d

   In my movie reviews, I usually try to avoid any spoilers. Since this is a documentary dealing with publicly available information, I am not withholding anything this time. You can watch the trailer at the end of this post.

   Won't You Be My Neighbor? is a documentary about Fred Rogers, star of "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood." It is directed by Morgan Neville and features original footage and interviews with Fred Rogers, his family, as well as the cast and crew of the television show.

   The film chronicles the beginnings of the show in the 1950s when Fred Rogers worked with puppets on a children's television show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before leaving to become an ordained minister. He would later create the long running "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," which would go from a local show to national syndication on the PBS network.

   He was ahead of his time, addressing segregation, divorce and political assassinations, all of which were questions children needed to have addressed as this was in the news and their lives. He had a way with children, addressing them directly. It was as if each viewer had a personal audience with Mr. Rogers.

   I have to say it's not easy to write a review of a documentary, especially one that doesn't expose any big secrets or anything. He was pretty much exactly who he portrayed on television, an empathetic caring individual. What I would rather focus on is what makes this movie bring the viewer to tears. I'm not the only one who cried during this. Many reviewers are saying the same thing. I am not certain that younger audiences would have the same reaction.

   Many people like to whine about how Ghostbusters remakes and Star Wars sequels are destroying their childhood. I grew up with that stuff too (and I also don't like the Star Wars sequels), but my childhood was Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. I carried my love of Star Wars and other movies into adolescence and largely abandoned Mr. Rogers like an imaginary friend. Watching this film was like suddenly being revisited by that imaginary friend. This was not just someone on TV that said they were your personal friend but actually a real live person with a life of their own.

   If that doesn't work, let me try another analogy. If anyone ever lost a grandparent, parent, aunt or uncle at a young age, this could bring the same emotion as seeing a documentary starring your lost relative, finally getting to have them visit you again.

   The film shows behind the scenes looks at make-believe, the origins of Daniel the Tiger and King Friday the 13th, and interviews with cast and crew of the show. Most notable is the interview with François "Officer" Clemmons, who had to hide his homosexuality for fear of the show losing sponsors. Fred Rogers accepted that Francois was gay but also advised against being public about it. For that time period, I don't know if he could have done anything else. Society has unrealistic expectations when it comes to sexuality and the stars of children's television.

   If you grew up with Mr. Rogers, you should love this movie. Bring tissues, or grab extra napkins from the concession stand. Make sure you're hydrated. Drink plenty of water.

   I give this a rating of an absolute 100%.

   This trailer is the property of Focus Features

   

   ▲Upvote

   ReplyPermalink·Open on PeakD ↗·Linked from existing Hive post

   💬 Show comments