Movie Breakdown: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Pre-Screening Stance:

You’re probably a monster if you’re not excited to see a documentary about Mister Rogers.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Honestly, I almost just posted a pic of Mister Rogers and called it a day on this review.  If you’re even lightly familiar with the man, his show or the work that he did, then this documentary is a must-see for you.  I know though that his heyday wasn’t exactly recent though, so I wanted to at least say this for the handful of you who are perhaps not in know on Fred Rogers – you need to see this doc.  Not only does it do a wonderful job of highlighting a great man and exploring why he was the way he was, but it serves as a stark reminder that we live in a fast, loud world and it’s important to constantly slow down and dampen the noise, especially for children.  As much as I want Won’t You Be My Neighbor? to put Fred Rogers on an even bigger pedestal than he already exists on, I hope it also inspires folks to seek out better media for themselves and their kids.

Side note, be ready to cry when you watch this.

One Last Thought:

Back in 1969 Rogers helped sway the gruff Senator John Pastore to grant a newborn PBS $20 million in federal funding.  I wasn’t aware this happened, and it was my favorite part in the doc.  If you’ve never seen Rogers’ testimony, you should check it out.  The man was truly too endearing to not like.