
Sydney Morning Herald
Hanks is perhaps the only actor who could have made any sense of the part, having achieved his own brand of saintliness in Hollywood’s current pantheon yet he doesn’t seem comfortable here.
Full reviewOscar winner Tom Hanks is Fred Rogers, beloved host and creator of the popular children's TV show Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood, in this biopic helmed by Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?).
A jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys, TV's The Americans) overcomes his scepticism and learns about empathy and kindness after being assigned a profile of Rogers.
LessHanks is perhaps the only actor who could have made any sense of the part, having achieved his own brand of saintliness in Hollywood’s current pantheon yet he doesn’t seem comfortable here.
Full reviewRhys (The Americans) delivers precisely the right dose of world-weary cynicism, while Hanks perfectly captures the quiet intensity and cadence of the seemingly unflappable Rogers. It's hard not to be drawn in by his words and into his world of positivity and "neighbourhood of make believe".
Full review...it’s in the emotional charge she [director Marielle Heller] gets out of seemingly simple scenes of two men talking – and sometimes that’s between Vogel and his estranged father, played by Chris Cooper – that makes ABDITN such an utter delight of a film.
Full review…if you don’t feel just a bit warm and gooey watching this film then you are probably cynical, bitter or dead.
Full review"A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood" is a lovely, soft-hearted fable that works on you in an enchanting way.
Full reviewMarielle Heller's film itself, however, is a rather more modest achievement, sympathetic and yet entirely predictable in its dramatic trajectory of making a believer of an angry, cynical journalist.
Full reviewEven in territories where audiences are unfamiliar with Fred Rogers' hokey appeal, the film's humour, its amiable charm offensive and its gentle weirdness should disarm all but the most cynical.
Full reviewWhile Hanks avoids attempting to awkwardly replicate Rogers' voice - although he does nail his cadence - he focuses on exuding the same bewitching, patient curiosity that Rogers had in the people he met.
Full reviewHanks, comfortable in his twinkly-eyed wheelhouse, is properly supportive - it's a supporting role - while Rhys becomes the movie's little boy, diving into his own daddy issues, hopefully resolving them in time to write the big heroic cover story.
Full reviewNeighbourhood is full of looking, listening, understanding - fitting for a film about a man who was incredibly charismatic, slow of gesture and speech in ways that encouraged everyone around him to perform his kindness back at him.
Full reviewFor those seeking comfort, kindness and a sense of cherishing in a turbulent world that seems to reward cruelty over caring, A Beautiful Day will be cinematic balm. Surrender to it and bring tissues.
Full reviewA Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood is available to stream in New Zealand now on Netflix and Google Play and Apple TV and Neon Rentals.
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