[Early Review] Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Director: Morgan Neville

Cast: Fred Rogers, Joanne Rogers, Betty Aberlin, McColm Cephas Jr.

94 mins. Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and language.

I think we all remember Mr. Rogers. I grew up watching the reruns as a child. The unlikely star of the show was interesting, informative, and entertaining. Director Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom, Keith Richards: Under the Influence) seemed to have been moved by Mr. Rogers as well, as his love letter to the man expertly shows.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? showcases Fred Rogers and his amazing life, detailing aspects of his upbringing, the importance of love and respect for our children, and the emotional difficulties he faced while creating such a game-changing program for youths.

Let me start this off with…I laughed. I cried. I did both at the same time. This is a powerhouse examination of one of the more fascinating humans in recent memory. Director Neville elects to provide a mixture of important moments from the television program’s decades-long history and show the context and intent in their creation. He adds in memories from Fred’s crew, family and friends with snippets of archive footage and interviews with the man himself.

This is an expert example in biographical documentary. There is the presentation of a life with an emphasis on how that life contributed to the world, and Fred Rogers indeed influenced the world. I was particularly moved with the way he interacted with the cast and crew of the show as well as the lessons he taught and how Neville uses them perfectly to convey how Rogers would have wanted to convey them anew.

It’s hard to describe the film without just flat-out describing all the ways it has changed my perception of myself and others. The best way to do so would be to simply tell you to see this movie. I know there are a lot of big films in cinemas right now but I implore you to choose Won’t You Be My Neighbor? It’s one of my favorite films of the year, a joyous celebration of love from a man who gave so much of it. See this now.

5/5

-Kyle A. Goethe