Capsule review №3

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” . . . where Tom Hanks plays Fred Rogers.

Two-thirds through the movie I thought, “I’ll bet there’s a sudden shift in tone coming, a turning point, something subtle or unexpected.” I couldn’t believe that Tom Hanks, a sophisticated team, a professional crew could make an utterly predictable, embarrassingly corny film: Alienated, caustic, cynical, work-obsessed writer recognizes the error of his ways and mellows, humanizes upon interacting with mellow, human Mr. Rogers.

When the movie was over I realized: They dared to be as corny, straightforward, and nice as Fred Rogers dared to be.

In doing so they shocked. They put forward a contemporary work of popular culture devoid of irony; never sardonic; unconcerned with being hip; dis-alienating.

The camera moves slowly, even lingers. A member of the audience could concentrate on an image or a scene (if anyone out there still has the capacity to do so). There’s no noise, one scene of violence (for the sake of contrast), simple sentiment, a touch of hagiography.

Slowness. Niceness. Predictability. Genuinity. In your face. You may not be able to take it.