Tom Hanks is Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood trailer

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Tom Hanks already has the reputation of being one of the nicest people in Hollywood, and now he gets to play the man who may just be the ultimate symbol of kindness and love, Mister Rogers, in the new biopic, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. Sony Pictures has just released the first trailer for the movie starring Hanks and Matthew Rhys (THE AMERICANS) from director Marielle Heller (CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?), and as to be expected, Hanks effortlessly exudes the warmth of the beloved TV figure in what already looks like the sweetest movie of the year.

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Telling the true story of Rogers’ friendship with journalist Tom Junod (Rhys), the movie (written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster) is all about the latter having his cynical worldview rocked by the endless, joyful positivity of the children’s show host. Indeed Hanks, Heller and the team did the job of making Rogers' essence pervade every scene, as the moment he steps through that door and begins singing that iconic opening song, Hanks will surely brighten your day before he can even take off his shoes.

Only time will tell if A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD can capitalize on its awards season release,  but Hanks seems to be turning in some Oscar-worthy work, and Heller received serious notice last year for her work on CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, which was nominated for several Oscars including Best Actress (Melissa McCarthy), Best Supporting Actor (Richard E. Grant) and Best Original Screenplay (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty). No matter what, the movie looks like a damn delight, and Hanks rocks a sweater almost as well as Rogers himself. Almost. 

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Here’s the synopsis:

Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD is in theaters November 22.