Tag Archives: Matthew Rhys

2019 Films, Biography, Chris Cooper, Christine Lahti, Drama, Marielle Heller, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Tom Hanks

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood-2019

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A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood-2019

Director Marielle Heller

Starring Matthew Rhys, Tom Hanks

Scott’s Review #964

Reviewed December 6, 2019

Grade: A

Any viewer seeking a weepy affair should look no further than A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019). The film is sentimental, without ever feeling sappy or overwrought; instead, it abounds with freshness and authenticity.

Tom Hanks is brilliant as the iconic children’s television personality, and Matthew Rhys holds his own, delivering a fantastic performance as an angry journalist tasked with writing a magazine article about the legend.

The film is heartwarming and teary with a poignant and inspirational message, and in 2019, we could all use a little Mister Rogers in our lives.

The film’s period is 1998, and on the outs with his father, Jerry (Chris Cooper), Lloyd Vogel (Rhys) works as a writer for Esquire magazine. Both attend Lloyd’s sister’s wedding, where the two men come to blows over past disputes, ruining the wedding reception and reigniting their feud.

Lloyd’s wife, Andrea, serves as a mediator when their newborn son becomes an interesting link between father and son. When Lloyd meets with Mister Rogers (Hanks), he is at first skeptical of the man’s benevolence, but the two men slowly develop a strong bond, forging a deep friendship.

Director Marielle Heller drew acclaim for her recent film, Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018), a project about a grizzled New York writer.

Once again, her lead character is a dark and troubled writer, but with enough humanity bubbling under the surface to make the character likable. The contrast between the two main characters (Lloyd and Mister Rogers) is palpable and central to the story, making it intriguing and successful.

Her message is a strong lesson in humanity.

The setup is tremendous for anyone who has a clue to the unconditional kindness that Mister Rogers embodies. He not only adores children but also all of humanity, and, as referenced, he is particularly drawn to those who are wounded or broken.

The legend sees the goodness in all human beings and focuses on everyone he speaks with rather than on himself. What a wonderful message of patient, goodness, and empathy Heller carves from start to finish.

No surprise is how Rogers teaches Lloyd to accept and forgive Jerry. During a thrilling scene, Lloyd lashes out at his father, reminding him that when he was bedding other women, his wife (Lloyd’s mother) lay riddled with cancer, not dying in peace, but screaming with agony.

The irony is that Jerry is now at death’s door, attempting to make amends with Lloyd before he dies. Both men are wounded and damaged, but because of Mister Rogers’ kindness, they come to an understanding. The message is lovely and kind.

I was surprised at how emotionally fulfilling the film turned out to be. Mister Rogers cares, and one can easily slip into a fantasy that, as he sits and holds a conversation with Lloyd, gazing whimsically and thoughtfully into his eyes, he is staring into our very own eyes.

I sure did, and what a powerful emotion that conjures. When Mister Rogers asks to take a moment of silence to think about the people who have shaped our lives, there is no doubt that each member of the movie theater audience did just that.

Hanks is a godsend and ideally suited for the role. Known to be a kindly humanitarian himself, he easily slips into the role of Mister Rogers and imitates the mannerisms perfectly. Especially impressive is when Danny, a puppet bear, appears on screen.

Savvy viewers will realize that Rogers channels his childhood through this character and the pain he felt as an overweight child.

Hanks is a tremendous actor, winning Oscars for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994), so we have every confidence in his ability to craft a new character so well.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) wins the year’s award for evoking the most emotion from viewers. The familiar “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” tune will evoke memories and add a level of sentiment to a heartwarming film.

Instead of crafting a sterile or preachy film, Heller delivers a simple message of kindness and understanding, along with a valuable lesson in accepting people as they are.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor-Tom Hanks

2017 Films, Alison Brie, Bob Odenkirk, Bradley Whitford, Carrie Coon, Drama, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Meryl Streep, Michael Stuhlbarg, Neal Huff, Political Drama, Sarah Paulson, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Tracy Letts

The Post-2017

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The Post-2017

Director Steven Spielberg

Starring Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks

Scott’s Review #715

Reviewed January 15, 2018

Grade: A-

Amid the current political upheaval in the 2017 United States, comes a fresh and timely film named The Post, created by esteemed director Steven Spielberg and starring two of today’s biggest Hollywood film stars: Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.

The film is a political, historical thriller set during the tumultuous year 1971, as the controversial Vietnam War raged on. It tells of the bravery of a female newspaper owner (Streep) who risked everything to publish the truth with her team of mostly male editors and staff.

The film is an intelligent piece of writing.

Its crisp script and quick editing allow for a believable foray into a different time, when newspapers were hot and rotary telephones, telephone booths, and polyester outfits were all the rage.

Spielberg is brilliant at setting just the right mood and tone to transport the audience back to 1971, on the eve of the enormous Watergate scandal.

While all of the elements are in play, and the truthful story is important, the film is very good but not quite brilliant—it falls just shy of that bombastic one or two scenes that would land it over the top.

The Post begins in the jungles of Vietnam in 1965, as military analyst Daniel Ellsberg documents the progress of military activities among the soldiers during battle.

On the journey home, he briefs then-President Lyndon Johnson that the war is hopeless and should be stopped. As history unfortunately shows, the brutal war continued with thousands of lives lost.

The film then continues on a journey of uncovering top-secret Pentagon papers documenting the White House’s knowledge of the war’s useless nature. Each administration chose to continue with the bleeding to avoid the United States being “humiliated.”

Streep gives her best performance in years as Katharine Graham, the Washington Post newspaper heiress, a woman who struggles to be taken seriously in a man’s world, especially given the period, many men were uncomfortable taking direction from a woman.

Streep infuses the role with the perfect amount of emotion, insecurity, and charm. Despite her wealth and control, she is frequently overruled by the all-male board of directors, so much so that she often doubts her confidence.

Hanks, however, underwhelms as the gruff editor-in-chief of the Post, Ben Bradlee. Given the actor’s enormous talents, I was expecting a meatier performance, which does not materialize.

I also anticipated an equal balance of Hanks and Streep, but the film belongs to Streep.

Perhaps because Hanks (the ultimate nice guy) portrays Bradlee as a challenging, yet family man, the performance does not quite work.

Also, the chemistry between Hanks and Streep is not the specialty of the film.

Evident is the correlation between 1971’s President Nixon and 2017’s President Trump—both administrations were shrouded in controversy.

A neat trick Spielberg creates is to only show Nixon in shadows, wildly gesturing and threatening, similar to Trump’s mannerisms—this is no accident.

The entire work of The Post seems to be a big call-out by Spielberg, a devout liberal, to the Trump administration.

This comparison of past and present makes The Post incredibly timely and topical for 2017.

Clever is the intriguing ending—as the Watergate scandal begins with a security guard catching intruders at the complex, Spielberg seems to be saying, “Watch out, Trump!”

In 2017, the current state of the media versus the White House has never been more controversial, disdainful, and even hateful, as the “truth” is often tough to come by or even to distinguish.

“Fake news” is now a thing and Twitter rants are now a daily occurrence, making the “truth” a precious commodity.

For this reason alone, The Post (2017) must be a film we celebrate and model ourselves after—how timely indeed.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress-Meryl Streep