Directed by Morgan Neville
Soundtrack: Jonathan Kirkscey
I suppose if you’re from Australia or some other far-off land you might not know who Fred Rogers was, but anyone who grew up in late-20th Century America knows full well of the man, the myths, and his legacy.
For the uninitiated, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a long-running public television children’s program, created by, written by, music by, puppetry by, and starring ordained Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? explores the history and philosophy of the show and the man himself, with a myriad of archive footage and newly recorded interviews with family, friends, colleagues, and other notable and relevant people.
If I have one complaint, it’s that I wish the film was a bit longer, because as in depth and insightful as it is, certain elements could have been left to breathe more, namely a crucial 1969 Senate hearing in which Rogers gave testimony, the full length of which is about seven minutes, but is cut down to roughly ninety seconds in the documentary, and I wish that wasn’t the case.
That said, I did find myself leaning quite a great deal (which I suppose shouldn’t be a surprise, given the subject matter) about this man who is often written off as just a “nice guy”, but in truth had tremendous knowledge, wisdom, passion, and depth of character, both on screen and off.
Whether you grew up watching Mr. Rogers or not, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is well worth seeing. If nothing else, it’s a ninety minutes of pure humanity; sunshine, rain clouds, and all.
Rating: ★★★★☆