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Won't You Be My Neighbor?

2018

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 41 Critic Reviews

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85

USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 131 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	Your Score
8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 131 Ratings

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Won't You Be My Neighbor?

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Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Movie Details & Credits

Focus Features | Release Date: June 8, 2018 | Not Rated

Starring: Al Gore, Betty Aberlin, Bill Clinton, Christa McAuliffe, David Bianculli, David Newell, François Scarborough Clemmons, Fred Rogers, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Jeff Erlanger, Joanne Rogers, Joe Negri, John O. Pastore, Johnny Costa, Kailyn Davis, Kailyn Orta, Koko, McColm Cephas Jr., Riley Rayburn, Robert F. Kennedy, Yo-Yo Ma

Summary: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? takes an intimate look at America’s favorite neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A portrait of a man whom we all think we know, this emotional and moving film takes us beyond the zip-up cardigans and the land of make-believe, and into the heart of a creative genius who inspired generations of children with compassion andWon’t You Be My Neighbor? takes an intimate look at America’s favorite neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A portrait of a man whom we all think we know, this emotional and moving film takes us beyond the zip-up cardigans and the land of make-believe, and into the heart of a creative genius who inspired generations of children with compassion and limitless imagination.… Expand

Director: Morgan Neville

Genre(s): Biography, Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 94 min

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Metascore

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

100

Observer

Oliver Jones

Nov 9, 2018

Remarkable film. Read full review

100

Washington Post

Ann Hornaday

Jun 6, 2018

Neville has created a film that operates both as a dewy-eyed nostalgia trip and stirring appeal for civility. Read full review

90

Arizona Republic

Bill Goodykoontz

Jun 7, 2018

Neville, who won an Oscar for "20 Feet from Stardom," could have gone a different route, maybe try to dig up some dirt. But there really doesn't seem to be any. I don't know if it's Rogers' influence, but I like this film just the way it is. Read full review

88

Chicago Tribune

Michael Phillips

Jun 7, 2018

Without undue fawning, Neville’s moving portrait does a lovely job of presenting Rogers as two people, the public figure and the private one, sharing the same closet full of zip-up sweaters. Read full review

80

New York Magazine (Vulture)

David Edelstein

Jun 7, 2018

A wonderful breather from reality, from which you come back more conscious of — and dismayed by — the hate that more than ever runs the world. Read full review

80

The Hollywood Reporter

Daniel Fienberg

Mar 20, 2018

There's more to Fred Rogers than any 93-minute documentary can contain, and it was easy for me not to lament what Neville wasn't doing and just to embrace what Rogers was. Read full review

50

The Film Stage Daniel Schindel

Mar 20, 2018

The film can easily coast on sentimentality and nostalgia for emotion, and does so frequently and unabashed. Which is frustrating, since there are glimpses of a more complex human being throughout the film, one who would have made for a much better subject. Read full review

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User Reviews

10

stevegroundhog

Jun 9, 2018

Well, made me miss Fred Rogers. I was the last generation to grow up with him, and there will never be another like him.

5 of 5 users found this helpful50

10

Douglasreynholm

Jan 24, 2019

An Amazing Documentary of the life of an amazingly wonderful man who wanted to do and show good to the world and teach children the right and wrongs of the world. you do not need to have known Fred Rodgers or his tv show this documentary will leave you crying and wanting to see someone doAn Amazing Documentary of the life of an amazingly wonderful man who wanted to do and show good to the world and teach children the right and wrongs of the world. you do not need to have known Fred Rodgers or his tv show this documentary will leave you crying and wanting to see someone do what Fred Rogers did in the world we live in today.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

10

BHBarry

Jul 9, 2018

Bcc) Details
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor” is a film documentary chronicling the life and career of one of the most beloved television personalities who ever appeared on the screen, Fred Rogers (aka “Mr. Rogers”). Morgan Neville, the documentarian and director of this film has captured theBcc) Details
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor” is a film documentary chronicling the life and career of one of the most beloved television personalities who ever appeared on the screen, Fred Rogers (aka “Mr. Rogers”). Morgan Neville, the documentarian and director of this film has captured the essence and purity of this beautiful man whose sole aim in life was to enhance and better the lives of the small children he was able to come in contact with via the medium of television. His almost 2000 tv episodes sought not only to entertain but to help those in his young audience to understand the evils of bigotry, the heartbreak of divorce, the challenges of illness and the sadness of death, all topics previously unknown and untouched on children’s television shows. Ordained as a Presbyterian minister Mr. Rogers never preached to his flock but, instead, chose to communicate with them and, by doing so, achieved their love, affection and respect. More than that, Fred Rogers was off the screen the same person he was on it. He lived his every day life believing and espousing that we are all special and that what all of us really want in life is to love, be loved and to be worthy of that affection. I give this film a 10 rating and answer the question in the film’s title in this manner: “Yes, Mr. Rogers, I would have loved to be your neighbor and, even more so, your friend.”… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

9

WillSullivan

Jul 30, 2018

My blog Walkin' Talkin' Pictures release a full review this weekend. Please google it inyour interested!

Here's an excerpt: Fred Rogers was a radically unique individual. His compassion and caring for children was unmatched in the television space. It would have been easy to make aMy blog Walkin' Talkin' Pictures release a full review this weekend. Please google it inyour interested!

Here's an excerpt: Fred Rogers was a radically unique individual. His compassion and caring for children was unmatched in the television space. It would have been easy to make a documentary to build him up to be a saint. This Christ like figure without any flaws, who only wanted to do good. (One of his children actually compares him to Christ on earth at one point). The movie engages a level deeper though. There are these beautifully intimate moments where we hear stream-of-consciousness writing when Rogers doubts his ability to pen a script. We see his initial refusal to accept his black gay co-star's sexuality. We hear Rogers' disbelief and doubt that he can have any impact after 9/11 to bring people together. Most of all we feel the discontent as an undercurrent throughout Rogers entire life. The film brings us to accept that that discontent and fear is just as much a part of the man as the happy high energy neighbor we know and love.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

9

wnick2000

Jun 17, 2018

I'll say it up front, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" is my choice for the best documentary of the year. As someone who grew up in the last generation to really get to grow up with Mr. Rogers, as well as someone who grew up in and experienced the area of which he lived , it was incrediblyI'll say it up front, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" is my choice for the best documentary of the year. As someone who grew up in the last generation to really get to grow up with Mr. Rogers, as well as someone who grew up in and experienced the area of which he lived , it was incredibly touching to see such a nearly immaculate tribute to a man that was very nearly immaculate himself. Fred's story is a story worth telling for multiple reasons, and this documentary shows why that is. It echos wholeheartedly his message that he wanted to leave on each and every person; that they can be loved for who they are. The several interviews by the people who worked with Mr. Rogers, as well as those who were affected by him in one way or another, speak volumes about the man and give new insight into his life that we may not have really been able to see before. To see the history of his life and his shows made me feel like a kid again, not so much because it was pure nostalgia, but because it's still a show that resonates with me today as an adult. As I've aged, I began to understand his teachings more in depth and found even more appreciation than I had before, and this film reflects that experience as it shows other's who have been impacted in the ways that I have. It's a very personal story, one that may leave you feeling emotional if you have any attachment to Mr. Rogers, and maybe you'll be moved even if you didn't. It does everything that was needed to tell the story of Fred Rogers, and hopefully it gives a chance for younger generations to learn about him.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

9

PCCritic01

Mar 10, 2020

Fred Rogers was odd, I didn't like him when he showed up on PBS in 1968. I was 12 and too cool for the kiddie stuff. But now all these years later I realize what a Genuine and Caring person he was. He was the essence of Nobility. Thank you Mister Rogers. This movie is for adults and I urgeFred Rogers was odd, I didn't like him when he showed up on PBS in 1968. I was 12 and too cool for the kiddie stuff. But now all these years later I realize what a Genuine and Caring person he was. He was the essence of Nobility. Thank you Mister Rogers. This movie is for adults and I urge you to watch it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

4

q

Jul 13, 2018

I grew up before Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, and so I lack the nostalgic ties to Fred Rogers that other moviegoers may possess. Ponderous and hagiographical, the movie details the career of what can most accurately be described as a very unusual man who just happened to find aI grew up before Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, and so I lack the nostalgic ties to Fred Rogers that other moviegoers may possess. Ponderous and hagiographical, the movie details the career of what can most accurately be described as a very unusual man who just happened to find a noncompetitive niche for his talents in the nascent public TV medium. The biographical elements that might have made the movie much more interesting to people who were acquainted with Fred Rogers primarily through Eddie Murphy and Johnny Carson's parodies of him--where did he grow up, what were his parents like, what were his experiences growing up in school, how did he meet and court his wife, what did his kids have to endure as a result of having such an unusual father, what drew him to focus his work on preschoolers--are conspicuously absent from this biographical documentary. Moviegoers leave the theater having viewed a worshipful account of the adult professional life of an apparently virtuous but--frankly--downright weird character whose most salient characteristic was being so consistently strange that other people found him disarming.… Expand

1 of 9 users found this helpful18

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40	#40 Best Movie of 2018
90	#90 Most Discussed Movie of 2018

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