Score: B-
Directed by Marielle Heller
Starring Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Cooper
Running time: 108 minutes
Rated PG
Long Story Short: The famous children's TV show creator has been getting his due recently, and not much can strive to do that better than a feature film with Tom Hanks in the title role. Unfortunately, this biopic does not live up to its ambitions. While putting Rogers in more of a side role is smart, the core story is almost unwatchable; only when Hanks shows up does it have a pulse. Look elsewhere for drama in the theaters; or, check out the Mr. Rogers documentary instead (now on HBO).
Dealing with tumult in his personal life both positive (a new son) and negative (a rift with his father), magazine writer Lloyd (Rhys) is given a "fluff" assignment: a brief profile of Fred ("Mr.") Rogers. Renowned for his deep, cutting looks into public figures, Lloyd's innate skepticism meets its match in the quiet, modest, and almost unbelievably kind Mr. Rogers. Still, Lloyd hangs around the set of Mr. Rogers' children's TV show, trying to find his angle. His focus on this article becomes more intense, too, as his personal life continues to spiral out of his control. Nearing the end of his tether, perhaps only an opening of his professional mind will allow Lloyd to find peace.
A Beautiful Day has a fairly small cast, and the characters involved don't fulfill the roles one might expect. It is the journalist Lloyd, played by Matthew Rhys, who is the lead, rather than the famed Mr. Rogers (and the vaguely recognizable actor portraying him). Unfortunately, this lead role is at the center of the film's deficiencies. Rhys' acting itself is pretty bland, mostly either unengaged or forced despite being placed in a variety of either dramatically or interpersonally dynamic scenarios. I'm not sure which was worse: the casting choice, or Rhys' effort. The script doesn't do him any favors (more on this later), but I put a lot on the performance. In a significant supporting role is Tom Hanks's Mr. Fred Rogers, and he does excellent work despite some challenges. Yes, Hanks - perhaps Hollywood's most likable actor - is an obvious choice to play the supernaturally kind Rogers. But when the audience is very familiar with the appearance and personalities of both actor and character, it's also a strange experience. It's almost like watching a clone of the two of them mushed together. Still, Hanks does great, nuanced work, picking up on Rogers's trademark slow and gentle physical and vocal rhythms. Once again, a better script could have improved the effect further, but it's fascinating nonetheless. Elsewhere, Watson's subtle performance as "the wife" is really good, while Chris Cooper, playing Lloyd's father, appropriately does as poorly as Rhys (like father like son?).
A Beautiful Day is a bit of a paradox in several ways; it's a straight-ahead drama while trying to insert interesting stylistic aspects here and there, and ultimately it's just OK when it could have been great. The film is at its core a Mr. Rogers biopic, and the central, if unusual, decision to make Fred a supporting character in his own movie was very wise, I think. Despite having been a flesh-and-blood human being, Rogers is practically fictional for how different he seems to the rest of us; therefore, a "common" person to serve as audience surrogate was useful. The problem is that the film presents an entirely uninteresting family drama as the main story and frame it with the Mr. Rogers elements, which when added in feel either bizarrely fantastical or simply too different in tone from the rest. In fact, the family drama story is treated as a giant episode of Mr. Rogers's show - mainly metaphorically, but also literally in a few odd moments (the first scene is a re-enactment of the start of a Mr. Rogers episode - cool! - and ends in Fred revealing a picture of Lloyd - umm...). I know this is based on a true story - it's a biopic, after all - but Lloyd's family drama is incredibly dull for how well-worn and predictable it is. Add in the aforementioned poor performances, and too much of the film that doesn't have Hanks/Rogers in it is almost painful to watch. Rogers's presence almost always boosts things, but it's also frustratingly hampered by the contexts in which he's placed. Now, it's not all bad. Most of the scenes on the TV set - and accompanying characters - are pretty good, and if expanded would have been very welcome. Along with Hanks's overall performance, a handful of parts are pretty special: the final few moments are so good, in fact, it's an aching reminder of how good the whole thing had the potential to be.
***
A Beautiful Day was disappointing to me, but I seem to be in the minority on this one. It has a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes; despite a modest-sized release, it's also made $47 million so far. It's hard to imagine a more enticing film if you want a feel-good drama than one about Mr. Rogers, and I'd like to see more films coming out with this general premise and purpose. I also understand that Marielle Heller (who made last year's outstanding Can You Ever Forgive Me?) was trying to frame her biopic in a way that best suited her subject, and perhaps show off some stylistic flourishes here and there. But - in my opinion - it just did not work. The family drama was so simplistic, over done, poorly performed and flat-out insipid that even the legendary Mr. Rogers could not resuscitate it. See it when it comes on streaming if you're really curious - and Hanks's performance is worth getting at least a little taste. But I would strongly advise you turn to the excellent documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? if you need Mr. Rogers in your life again.
* By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61900962
No comments:
Post a Comment