I just watched this in theaters... about 20 people there, I was probably only person under fucking 50.
What a magnificent, lovely movie. I went into this having read and watched a lot about about Mr Rogers, but only seeing the trailer a couple of times, and reading just a few reviews. Reviews were critical that Mr Rogers doesn't undergo a character arc, or have any real change or depth. What morons - this movie is about Lloyd Vogel, who is an investigative journalist for Esquire magazine. He's facing difficult times in his career and real life, and he's tasked with writing a short blurb about Mr Rogers. They connect and integrate each other into their lives. Mr Rogers is really a side character that helps Lloyd do exactly what Rogers is known for doing: helping people deal with anger and other bad feelings, and dealing with them and letting go. Lloyd undergoes a magnificent arc, and Rogers is there to help him the whole way through. The movie also tackles the question that we have all asked before, is Fred really that nice in real life? And of course we all know the answer.
This is a truly heart warming, but also heart breaking, movie. I'm someone from a reasonably good home, mother passed away from cancer, and never had time to process her death as I was in a time when I had to undergo heavy work training and was at work the day after she died. At the same time I had a baby and went through a divorce - it was a hard year. I've never slowed down to deal with these things or cope or grieve. Nothing about that makes the movie apply more to me, but I am a stoic person that hides away feelings daily for my work. I'll be honest, I had tears in my eyes within four seconds of this movie starting. And that is no exaggeration. I don't know if there was five straights minutes in the movie when I didn't have at least one tear in my eye. The movie also garnished applause from the audience at the end, which is one of the few times I've seen this, perhaps the last being LOTR: ROTK?
I'm not saying it's the best movie ever made, or that this will change cinema. It won't. But it's fucking LOVELY. People are asking for great movies to be made - here's one - go see it!
