Won't You Be My Neighbor

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⭐ 10.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

I saw this in theatres when it came out and remember it being the first time I openly wept at the movies. Jess said she wanted to watch a doc, and I knew this guy would melt her heart. I was 100% correct, she fell in love with him and I was totally justified crying the first time because I cried even harder this second time.

This is a documentary about Mr. Rogers and the kids show he made, and it is truly the most heart warming thing in the world. He is so wholesome, so kind, so loving, it is actually baffling to see in a world that is so cynical. The doc touches on some protests and controversies that he sparked, basically insane people not liking him because he accepted gay people, or people saying he raised a generation of snowflakes, but honestly those people are evil. His show was so groundbreaking, so influential, and so unique. I don't think there has been anything like it since, and there is no way there ever will be again.

There are so many anecdotes of the kindness he showed, and the loving way he conversed with children. He is a true saint, and there are so many little stories that would bring a tear to my eye, someone so talented and driven and with such vision, but completely altruistic in every sense.

The part of the movie that makes me weep is the last 10 minutes, where the talking heads discuss his legacy and use one of his moves to make the audience spend time in silence thinking about the figures in their lives that showed them love and influenced us when we were children. What I just described sounds terrible, but in the context of the movie I think its a genius move, and Jess and I were sobbing.

I can't say I have a huge connection to Mr. Rogers, since the show was before my time and I remember seeing reruns and thinking it was boring. But something about that soft-spoken man always stuck with me, and this doc makes me wish he was still around. Even the way the nation turned to him in crisis to address adults, its real saintly behaviour. I cannot emphasis enough how much I love this movie, I wish everyone could watch it and have their heart melted. It troubles me to think about how Mr. Rogers would feel about the state of children's entertainment, since he was already concerned 60 years ago and now they have TikTok. But I like to believe that his impact lives on. He has certainly inspired me to be a better person.

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