Won't You Be My Neighbor?

That was absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Mr. Rogers... Go watch this.

It's not just that you get to know Mr Rogers better through this film, it's that you get to know yourself a bit better too. The documentary takes you deeply into the intimate world that Fred Rogers inhabited, through interviews of his family and co-workers, but it also takes you through the intimate world that is self-confidence. By showing the world through Roger's philosophy we are reminded of the importance of children and seeing the world through their eyes.

Mr. Rogers is a pure legend 🙌

I felt like a lil kid watching him for the first time... More emotion in that hour and a half than Hollywood mustered all year

a must see! if you don't cry then u must be inhuman.

Such a beautiful man, and such beautiful messages he conveyed. Wished he was my neighbour, although I have been blessed in my life by those people who shared his generosity of soul and grace. Wouldn't it be good if we could all be a little kinder, more generous, and more graceful to those around us? Fred Rogers certainly inspired me to be that better man.

The life and philosophy of Fred Rogers, who helped to rear several generations of children through his own softly-spoken, value-driven PBS program. Impossible to watch without a fond, admiring smile on your face and a new appreciation for the weighty, sensitive topics that the program frequently covered.

In his own open, methodically honest way, Rogers tackled everything from war to racism, illness to assassination, stripping the fear and uncertainty from a difficult time while never skirting the issue or talking down to his young audience. It wasn't all so weighty, of course, but I was constantly taken aback by how efficiently and earnestly a puppet show could get through such material without feeling heavy-handed or agenda-driven. Rogers has a way of disarming potential explosives with a genuine gesture and the force of his own warm personality. Soaking his feet on the porch with a black man on a hot summer day when race relations were particularly tense, for example. The simple message speaks as loudly to the adults as it does to their kids.

Seeing how easily Mr. Rogers was able to connect with each and every child on a personal level, I often felt inadequate as a parent, but I also found a model to strive for. Even in my late thirties, he's teaching me new lessons. Spiritually moving material that's guaranteed to dig up forgotten memories, inspire deep thoughts and invoke misty eyes.

I have a newfound respect for Fred Rogers. Until watching _Won't You Be My Neighbor?_ I honestly had no idea he was an ordained minister. That's a huge credit to him and the way he did his work. In the religious world it seems all too common for the faithful to "spread the joy" in service of some ulterior motive (like conversion, ultimately), but Fred only wanted to instill good values in a generation of children, with no religious dogma attached. In a world that has seen crusades, jihad, and worse, all in the service of spreading one faith or another, Fred's focus was on the values alone. He wasn't in it to preach, but to teach. I can't help but respect that.

Anyway… I'm here to review a movie, right? Let's get to it.

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The standout production value of this documentary is its transitions. Honestly. I have seen very few documentaries that manage to flow so well from segment to segment. While there were a couple of places that seemed a bit abrupt, most of the film feels like one continuous, winding path from one topic to the next. It was only near the end that the segues became (understandably) more difficult.

Taking a look behind the scenes was a treat. Watching the show as a kid on PBS while it was still in production, I never bothered watching the credits, of course—what child does?—so I had no idea that Fred was the writer and composer of pretty much everything spoken or sung on screen. Obviously that's easily found out without watching a 93-minute documentary, but as with so many things I also never bothered to go look up the production history of this fondly remembered—but paradoxically, half-forgotten—show from my youth.

When I got older I did, however, realize that Mr. Rogers performed the voices of all the puppets. Interview and archival footage of him pulling one out and launching into a character voice—or even just slipping into one without the benefit of a puppet at all—is peppered through this film, and it's a treat. So are the interviews with Fred's widow, Joanne Rogers; his sons, James and John (hello, biblical names); and several cast and crew (among them: Betty Aberlin, François Clemmons, Joe Negri, David Newell, and Margaret Whitmer).

The factual content of this documentary is admittedly light, but I do think it was made up for in emotional content. Fred's hopes and doubts were covered just enough, but not given so much screen time that they overshadowed the message. I believe Morgan Neville was trying to paint a portrait of the man, not to precisely chart his course through life. And I believe he succeeded. Wikipedia or The Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Archive can tell me the who's, when's, where's, and (sometimes) how's of _Mister Rogers' Neighborhood_ came to be, but I think no other source can convey the why's quite like this very enjoyable documentary.

Such a great man. We need more like him today because all we have today is trash on radio and tv

You'll have a hard time watching this without a giant grin on your face or tears in your eyes.