I laughed.
I cried.
I came out of the theater feeling like I am not that great of a person; that I can be a better human being. But I also came out feeling happy and that life ain't all that bad if you roll with it and keep a positive outlook.
If you grew up in the 1970s and were weened on PBS like I was, then I highly recommend this documentary. Now I've always looked at documentaries as films that "should" be objective, but let's face it, most documentaries these days are pretty subjective. So, be warned: this film is very pro-Fred Rogers, it’s essentially a love story about the show and the man. In many ways it portrays him as being damn-near saintly. Nary a bad thing is spoken about him. It does show him as having been insecure and perhaps not terribly comfortable in his skin, which is cool, but overall it paints him in a very positive light. So the film may feel a bit one-sided to some folks. Honestly, I was so emotionally wrapped up in what was unfolding onscreen that I didn’t really think about this aspect of the film until later.
What really resonated with me was how topical, socially conscious, and downright political Mister Roger’s Neighborhood really was back in its heyday (and even later in the oughts). This was something that was totally lost on elementary school aged Me, that’s for sure. Rogers and company addressed some heavy spiritual, philosophical, and political issues, but in a mellow, unassuming way.
Now while I was emotionally charged throughout the film, there were a few elements that puzzled/bothered me. Let's call them "minor quibbles about the film". They would be the following:
1. Lady Aberlin (aka Betty Aberlin), although represented in quite a bit of archival footage, is conspicuously absent from the film.
2. It is mentioned that Mr. Rogers came from money and that he was a chubby (fat) kid who was bullied as a youth. Yet there is no commentary on this from Fred Rogers himself. It’s basically mentioned and then forgotten. On a similar note(s), it's not really delved into that much in regards to what led him to pursue the Seminary, nor is anything really said about his family (parents, brothers/sisters, etc).
3. There’s a segment where Rogers meets with a young kid who had a tumor that left him wheelchair bound. They interview the kid’s parents (today), but there is no mention of whether the kid is still alive. There is a quick clip during the credits that shows the kid (now grown up) meeting Rogers at an awards show, but that clip is at least a decade old.
4. One of my favorite characters on the show was Chef Brockett, and while he passed away in 1995, there is no mention of him in the film. :(
5. They stopped showing the names of the various people who were interviewed for the film, so I ultimately forgot who many of them were and what their relationship to Roger's was. They were a mix of actors, producers, journalists, historians, and family. I wish they had kept putting their names up on the screen throughout the film.
Again, these are just minor quibbles that popped into my head after I'd seen the film. I get that it’s hard to make a documentary and hit all the points, but those were the ones that stuck out with me.
What the film does do well is provide a pretty solid cross-section of interviewees ranging from cast members to guests, crew, and journalists. It also features quite a bit of behind-the-scenes archival footage, which is super cool.
In the end, the film resonated with me on a pretty deep emotional level and showcased how much Fred Rogers was a man either ahead of his time or completely out of time (though there is a segment where he testifies before Congress that shows he was right on time!). If anything, it made me realize that it is totally hip to be square.
Oh yeah, and you get to see Mister Rogers moonwalking!!!
