A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
FILM 9PM, FILM4, ALL 4
Although unknown on this side of the Atlantic, Fred Rogers and his children’s TV show was hugely loved by generations of Americans, running from 1968 until his death in 2003. Inspired by a true story, the movie sees a cynical journalist (Matthew Rhys) interviewing Rogers (a superbly underplayed performance by Tom Hanks) and slowly becoming entranced by his all-round niceness. It’s a wonderful feel-good film that has enough bite to never become schmaltzy, as Rhys learns to forgive his errant father (a great cameo from Chris Cooper). You’ll come away from this with a sense of joy that there are people in the world like Mr Rogers. ★★★★ NP