Movie Review: Won't You Be My Neighbor? a documentary directed by Morgan Neville (2018)

Ad for Won't You Be My Neighbor? directed by Morgan Neville, 2018.

Mr. Rogers, in his trademark cardigan and sneakers.

Fred Rogers and Daniel Striped Tiger.

My favorite television show as a child was Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. There was something special about Fred Rogers’ gentle show and the “Neighborhood of Make-Believe.” Mister Rogers didn’t do anything fancy or high tech on his television show, but through his calm and gentle demeanor, generations of children found a special friend who would show them how a Crayon was made, and also talk them through important topics like how to deal with anger and disappointment.

Morgan Neville’s new documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018) is a look at the life of Fred Rogers and his pioneering work in children’s television. The film paints a portrait of a kind man who was very committed to the work he was doing. It’s clear that he was the same Mr. Rogers on screen and off. Although one of his sons shares the amusing anecdote that when Rogers had something snarky to say at the family dinner table, he would say it in Lady Elaine Fairchilde’s voice. 

The film discusses Rogers’ childhood illnesses, which often left him bed-ridden for long periods of time. That’s when his passion for storytelling and make-believe began. When Rogers saw the brainlessness of much of the early television shows for children, he decided to go into television and try a different approach. He worked for several years on a children’s show called Children’s Corner, where he developed some of the puppets that would later appear on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which began in 1968. 

In addition to the successes that the show enjoyed, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? also lets us see some of Fred Rogers’ vulnerabilities. The film makes it clear that Daniel Striped Tiger, the sensitive soul of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, was often a stand-in for Rogers’ own insecurities. As Rogers says in an archival interview shown in the film, it’s easier to express emotions like sadness or vulnerability through puppets. One of the commentators in the film also points out that Fred Rogers gave us a different idea of what masculinity could look like. He didn’t have to prove to anyone how macho he was. Fred Rogers listened, was in touch with his emotions, had tremendous empathy, and accepted people for who they were. There’s nothing more manly than that. 

Fred Rogers would have turned 90 years old in 2018, and this year also marks the 50^th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. It’s only natural, during this turbulent time in American history, to wish that he were still around to offer us words of comfort and wisdom. Fortunately, because of these anniversaries, there has been a new wave of attention focused on Rogers and his television show, ensuring that new generations of viewers will be exposed to his message of love and acceptance. As he would say at the end of each show, “You make each day a special day. You know how, by just your being you.” 

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is a movie that everyone should see. The world could use a lot more of Fred Rogers right now.

Book Review: The World According to Mister Rogers, by Fred Rogers (2003)

Mister Rogers with King Friday XIII, and the neighborhood trolley.

Fred Rogers, with his trademark cardigan sweater, singing "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

The World According to Mister Rogers, by Fred Rogers, 2003.

My favorite television show as a child was Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Sure, I liked Sesame Street a lot, but there was something special about Fred Rogers’ gentle show and the “Neighborhood of Make-Believe.” Mister Rogers didn’t do anything fancy or high tech on his television show, but through his calm and gentle demeanor, generations of children found a special friend who would show them how a Crayon was made, and also talk them through important topics like how to deal with anger and disappointment. 

The book The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember was published shortly after Rogers’ death in 2003. It collects sayings and advice from Rogers about a number of different topics. I don’t know much about the private life of Fred Rogers, but based on Tom Junod’s excellent 1998 profile of Rogers for Esquire magazine, it seems clear that Rogers was the same kind, calm, loving and patient man off screen that he was on screen. “Mister Rogers” was not just a persona that he put on for the camera; it’s who Fred Rogers really was. 

If you’re a fan of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, you’ll definitely enjoy reading The World According to Mister Rogers. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Who you are inside is what helps you make and do everything in life.” (p.19)

“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.” (p.53)

“The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.” (p.81)

“There is no normal life that is free of pain. It’s the very wrestling with our problems than can be the impetus for our growth.” (p.112)

“As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has-or ever will have-something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.” (p.137)

“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” (p.160)

Fred Rogers was important to many people who never met him personally, and the good work that he did still has an impact on people’s lives today. I’ll always be proud to have been a “neighbor” of Mister Rogers’.