No. 110. (2019) A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. December 6th.

Film No 110 (2019)  Dec. 7th.  10:45 AM  LUNA PALACE Leederville. 

"Sometimes we have to ask for help and that's okay." (Fred Rogers responds to Lloyd's assertion that Fred likes broken people like himself).

Another film inspired by a true story. Fresh on the heels of the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbour, Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me) has taken the legend that is Fred Rogers and crafted a feature film that further emphasises the gentle goodness that is Mr Rogers. Tom Hanks is quite possibly the only actor capable of delivering this gentleness so legitimately. He does it superbly.

Inspired by the 10,000 word article Can You Say ... Hero? (1998) by Tom Junod, A Beautiful Day will warm the hearts of the coldest souls who love cinema. The story goes, Junod, generally a hard-hitting investigative writer, was sent by his editor to do a piece on America's most popular children's T.V. host. Junod had made enemies for Esquire due to his article, Kevin Spacey Has A Secret (yes, before it's time!) in 1997 so to relieve some tension Junod got the gig to meet Rogers thus forming a life-long friendship and yet another cover article.

Matthew Rhys (The Americans) plays Junod as fictional Lloyd Vogel here and shares the star billing with Hanks extremely comfortably. The premise that Vogel is based very loosely on Junod makes sense because there are many emotional and convenient short cuts which make Beautiful Day so touching. Junod hasn't said much but his relationship with his father was never as fractured as the one Vogel would have you believe on screen. "The depiction of our friendship (Rogers) was as close as I could have realistically hoped for" was a key comment made by Junod after his first viewing of the film.

The truth is, Rogers saw that Junod was troubled, mainly professionally, and he wanted to help. He did; Junod wrote an article which reflected the therapy Rogers' had instilled. The friendship was lasting and this very genuine fact is reinforced, if slightly fictitiously, in this very therapeutic, highly entertaining flick. 10GUMS.