Courtney Howard // Film Critic
Everybody loves Tom Hanks. Everybody loves Fred Rogers. It makes sense that the beloved A-list actor is donning the beloved children’s programming pioneer’s iconic red sweater for director Marielle Heller’s A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. And in this new still released today, Hanks is right in the middle of Rogers’ opening number, where he arrives home to get casual, switching from dress shoes to tennis shoes.
The above photo is uncanny compared to this photo of the man himself, during rehearsals of the opening of his PBS show ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ during a taping in June 28, 1989, in Pittsburgh.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
Two-time Oscar®-winner 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 opens on November 22.