…speaking for this reviewer, though I’m sure that many folks
out there may agree…ya' know?? It’s a crying shame sometimes, this thing we call ‘growing
up’…
…as children, we are so innocently impressionable…naively
coercive…easily convinced, without questioning. We’d soak up information,
faster than a sponge, and at the same time, took things at absolute face value,
‘cause of course, there was no way that the elders and parental guidance around
us, who in our eyes were the all-encompassing epitome of wisdom, love and
knowledge, would exude anything false…not withstanding of course, at such a
young, tender and unassuming age, that the concept of lies and falsehoods were even
considered, as such behaviors are learned, rather than inherited. Yes, without
question, God was ‘up there’ in the starry heavens, looking down upon our every
move…..Santa somehow managed to get those presents under the tree, every year
without fail, even if a chimney wasn’t evident for use…..that discarded tooth,
placed dutifully under the pillow, will magically transform into a quarter, the
next morning…..at a certain time when Mommy kisses Daddy, a cloud-perched angel
tells the stork, who flies down from Heaven, leaves a diamond under a leaf in
the cabbage patch, and soon after, the diamond turned into a baby…
...all, too good to be true...and later, from childhood into adolescence, and onto adulthood...yeah, we took all this learned stuff, and sorted through it, under columns of faith, fact and imaginative fantasy...
…besides our parents, our limited view of the world was
probably next influenced and enhanced by broadcast airwaves via a strange
glowing, electrically charged cathode tubes…a stream of mesmerizing, albeit strategically
governed moving pictures and sounds, emanating from that big wooden cabinet, in
the corner of every living room…
…and that gangling-looking, soft-spoken gentleman on the TV
screen, modestly adorned in simple slacks, laced sneakers and a colorful array
of warmly-hued sweaters…so trusting, endearing and disarming…introducing us to
an amassed variety of things, places and people…speaking of
curiosity-instilling subjects, albeit on a level that we children could easily
comprehend. A kindly heartfelt gentleman, who always kept one foot in the
fortunate and unfortunates of reality…but at the same time, not only never lost
touch of the innocence & curiosity of one’s inner child, despite the
maturity and wisdom of being one of those aforementioned elders…nonetheless found
and nurtured a way to touch, embrace and relate to that inner child…nay, to all
children whom he had the unique pleasure to connect with…
…that was the admirably marked legacy of Mr. Fred Rogers…
…”Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” lovingly celebrates that legacy…not so much in examining merely the straight-on linear biography of Fred, but rather focusing on his insight, connection and subsequent effect on the child inside each and every one of us, whether that child is 5 years old, or 105 years old…
…even at a crossroads in his early career days, in the
early-to-late ‘50’s (…he was on the cusp of entering the Christian ministry, at the time),
Fred Rogers had an overwhelming desire to connect with children…and at the same
time, had become absolutely fascinated by the new medium, known as television.
However, he was underliningly put off at the way that television was catering
to children…what, with the slapstick, the painted up clowns, and the pies in
the face…a sort of resigned babysitter, so to speak, with no real sense of
instilling mental or emotional development. Early on, Fred saw the untapped possibilities of
what television could conceivably do in children’s lives…not merely to
entertain, but in giving his proposed target audience greater credit for
learning, understanding and self-expression, Fred saw a way to connect with one’s
sense of feelings and curiosity about the people, and the world around them…the
overall wonderfulness of it all, as well as…well, the often-confusing things, perhaps
not so wonderful…
…and going against the grain…quite literally doing the opposite of what studio executives, at the time, considered appropriate, acceptable and engaging children’s broadcasting, Fred Rogers formulated and developed the beginnings of what would become an international phenomenon…that being the award winning ‘Mr. Rogers Neighborhood’. The overall simplicity and economical production values of the show was reflected a certain charm…it’s low budget quirkiness deemed negligible, as compared to Fred’s keen and heartfelt ability to connect and relate with children…to help them better understand the world around them, whether that understanding is drawn from the positive things in the world…and yes, even the negative things. And Fred’s unflinching philosophy, which was touched upon in each and every episode of the show…projected through the camera in such a way that felt like he was talking directly at you, rather than at an audience…that ‘no matter how different you may feel…how odd, or out of place…you are still special…’…
…so dedicated was Fred Rogers, to his philosophies, that at a certain point in the late ‘60’s, when the US government instilled proposals to drastically cut funding for public television and the associated children's broadcasting, he felt obligated to appear in a well-publicized hearing, in an effort to appeal the government not to instigate such financial cuts…an event which subsequently convinced a normally staunch and unmoved Senate board of public television’s abilities, self-assumed obligations, and invariably positive & concrete effect on children’s education…
…through all of Fred’s dedication efforts, he even found himself often the target of personal character attacks and assumptions, in the sense that his true and unwavering character was deemed ‘too good to be true’, and as such, must stand for something else…even something veiled and underlining…even sinister. The whole spectrum was assumed, from Fred being thought as being ‘gay’ in a perverse and corrupt sense, to the contradictory assumption that Fred, having reportedly killed during supposed military service, had donned this deceptive and pacific meld, to hide such presupposed misgivings. Even much later in his career, Fred even weathered accusations of proposed youth corruption, in the sense that his stance on ‘you are special’ was twisted into a misguided amalgamation, stemmed by millennials, that his unswerving idea of ‘being special’, in fact underliningly suggested a good measure of selfish empowerment and entitlement, on behalf of those whom Fred spoke with, be it through broadcast, or personal encounter. And yet, despite all of this, Fred did not feel, nor considered the need to waste time countering, nor responding to such assumptions and accusations…
…and for those who got it…for those willing to accept him at face value…especially those closest to him, in life…hey, Fred hardly needed, nor did he attempt to defend anything other than his continued unwavering devotion to children’s welfare, as well as their mental and emotional development. Open-minded, never artificial and accepting of everyone’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors & lifestyles…he was, without a doubt, the genuine article, as lovingly suggested by his closest friends, family and associates…many of whom are given scattered, albeit comprehensive interview opportunity herein this film. To touch the hearts and minds of youth, Fred never had to condescend to the millions of children in his fold; instead, in an effort to reach and relate to his audience, he would tap into that inner child which resided deep within himself…often expressing those inner feelings through the simplest of puppet characters, which he manipulated and voiced during the ‘make believe’ segments of his renowned show (...uh, my favorite part of the show, if you ask me...)...
…conceived and written as more a loving nostalgia piece for those who loyally grew up catching each and every broadcast of ‘Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood’, rather than something that would appeal to a more adolescent generation, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, without fail, will elicit a misty-eyed feel for times long past, in the onset of the film…especially when that oh-so familiar theme music kicks in; by the end of this affectionate and emotionally rousing look at the late, great Fred Rogers…again, despite the contrary, someone often thought of as ‘too good to be true, so he couldn’t possibly be’…most viewers will not only tearingly succumb to the delight of a personality, who never had to prove nor justify himself and his actions…who lovingly maintained a steadfast affection, devotion, respect and admiration for children worldwide, no matter what age…but, if at the very least, there will be those who will also pine for that bygone, though not hardly forgotten time past, when…when…
...listen...can you hear it?? That tinny little trolley chime, just in the distance?? Time once again, to make our way to 'make believe' land...shall we go??.....
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