I spent much of this documentary about Fred Rogers doing exactly what the children’s television icon wouldn’t have wanted — trying not to cry. Rogers was always clear on the value of feeling your feelings, but that’s because he didn’t spend 94 minutes in a theater without any tissues. From its opening moments when the intro notes of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood‘s” theme began to play, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” had me in tears for most of its running time. The Pavlovian response to the song was immediate: it was impossible to hear without feeling the love and acceptance that Rogers radiated through the screen and – as Morgan Neville‘s film reveals – in his real life as well. For anyone who grew up with Mister Rogers in their home, this movie will be such an affirming, warm experience. Those who didn’t will certainly wonder how he might have affected their early years (and beyond) for the better as well.
Neville walks through Rogers’ life largely in chronological order, sharing how the Presbyterian minister brought his worldview and knowledge of childhood development to a television show. More far-reaching than any sermon might have been, Rogers shared his message of kindness with millions of children, starting in 1968 on WQED Pittsburgh and expanding nationally on PBS. The series was simple and slow-moving, even by the standards of the ’60s, with Rogers taking his time as though he were in front of each small audience member and had nowhere else to be – and they felt that patience, gentleness, and care. Episode subjects ranged from the everyday experiences of children to serious discussions that other kids programming wouldn’t have dared approach, including divorce and the assassination of RFK. Through interviews, show clips, and other archival footage, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” explores not only how the series was made, but also the man behind its creation and its effect on both the cast and crew as well as young viewers.
“Love is at the root of everything: all learning, all relationships. Love, or the lack of it,” Rogers explains, and it’s clear that he applied that thinking to his own life. For those cynics hoping that Fred Rogers and Mister Rogers were two different people, this documentary will be a disappointment, but perhaps they’re most in need of its message. Neville has done great work on past films like “Best Of Enemies” and Oscar winner “20 Feet from Stardom” in sharing insight into larger-than-life personalities, and he does the same here. Rogers’ own words, as well as interviews with friends and colleagues like David Newell (Mr. McFeely) and François Clemmons (Officer Clemmons), reveal more nuance to the man than adults might remember from their childhood viewing. But if there’s anyone deserving of hagiography, it’s Rogers. This documentary truly captures the depth of his goodness and earnestness, peeling back layers to reveal an even better person than you remembered. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” doesn’t cast Rogers as perfect, but it’s hard to imagine a more admirable man.
The film evokes a range of emotions befitting a childhood lesson on feelings, from sadness about the Challenger accident to anger at a Fox News report snidely blaming Rogers for millennials’ behavior. But the overriding reaction is one of pure happiness and gratefulness that Rogers and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” existed and had such a profound impact on children for so many years. You leave wanting to be the better person that Rogers believed you could be and knowing that you’ll likely fall down a YouTube hole of episode clips to keep basking in his kindness. [A-]