Review of Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018) by Daniel S — 09 Dec 2018

As an Englander, I was first aware of Fred Rogers through parodies and references, and not his show. There is no nostalgia attached to my appreciation for this film. It is great because it is great. He seems to be a very interesting guy, with a lot of love for children, and more importantly a lot of respect for them.

Respect enough to not talk down to kids, and to expose them to things that they will likely be exposed to in their lives anyway. The film plays at a sedate pace, which seems to be apropos for his TV show, and seems to mirror the considered approach and tone that he took.

I think for a dirty old cynic like me there's a strong desire (which goes wholly unfulfilled) to see him be different than his on screen persona, a bit more like a human being, because there's a vague mistrust I have of anyone that calm and pleasant all the time.

He reminds me of Mr Burns when he takes the medication in the X Files episode of the Simpsons, which would make me Lenny and Carl. But it's a well made documentary that tells a nice story about an interesting person for 94 minutes and then leaves, and I'm all for that.