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Won't You Be My Neighbor?

  • 20182018
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
25K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Fred Rogers in Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.
Play trailer1:04
7 Videos
96 Photos
  • Documentary
  • Biography
An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
25K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Morgan Neville
  • Stars
    • Fred Rogers(archive footage)
    • Joanne Rogers
    • John Rogers
Top credits
  • Director
    • Morgan Neville
  • Stars
    • Fred Rogers(archive footage)
    • Joanne Rogers
    • John Rogers
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 228User reviews
    • 176Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 54 wins & 34 nominations

    Videos7

    Trailer #2
    Trailer 1:04
    Trailer #2
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Official Trailer
    Wont You Be My Neighbor?
    Trailer 0:51
    Wont You Be My Neighbor?
    Oscar Buzz for 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'
    Clip 3:46
    Oscar Buzz for 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'
    IMDbrief: Box-Office Slump Reversed?
    Video 3:16
    IMDbrief: Box-Office Slump Reversed?
    The Watchlist: Judith Light Aspires to Be Mr. Rogers
    Video 1:21
    The Watchlist: Judith Light Aspires to Be Mr. Rogers
    The Watchlist With Judd Apatow
    Video 1:42
    The Watchlist With Judd Apatow

    Photos96

    David Newell and Fred Rogers in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968)
    Fred Rogers in Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Fred Rogers in Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Tom Junod and Joanne Rogers at an event for Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Morgan Neville at an event for Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Morgan Neville at an event for Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Morgan Neville, Caryn Capotosto, and Nicholas Ma at an event for Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Fred Rogers in Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Fred Rogers in Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    Fred Rogers in Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Fred Rogers
    Fred Rogers
    • Selfas Self
    • (archive footage)
    Joanne Rogers
    Joanne Rogers
    • Selfas Self
    John Rogers
    John Rogers
    • Selfas Self
    Jim Rogers
    Jim Rogers
    • Selfas Self
    Bill Isler
    Bill Isler
    • Selfas Self
    Hedda Sharapan
    Hedda Sharapan
    • Selfas Self
    Junlei Li
    Junlei Li
    • Selfas Self
    Max King
    Max King
    • Selfas Self
    Margaret Whitmer
    Margaret Whitmer
    • Selfas Self
    • (as Margy Whitmer)
    Tom Junod
    Tom Junod
    • Selfas Self
    Betty Seamans
    Betty Seamans
    • Selfas Self
    • (as Elizabeth Seamans)
    Joe Negri
    Joe Negri
    • Selfas Self
    David Newell
    David Newell
    • Selfas Self
    Elaine Crozier
    Elaine Crozier
    • Selfas Self
    George Wirth
    George Wirth
    • Selfas Self
    David Bianculli
    David Bianculli
    • Selfas Self
    François Scarborough Clemmons
    François Scarborough Clemmons
    • Selfas Self
    • (as François Clemmons)
    Howard Erlanger
    • Selfas Self
    • Director
      • Morgan Neville
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although the documentary includes a brief clip of Fred Rogers' meeting with Koko the Gorilla and shows Koko removing Mister Rogers' shoes, it does not explain the story behind the gorilla's actions. After Koko's death in June 2018, multiple obituaries for the gorilla explained that Koko faithfully watched Mister Rogers' show every day, and during their encounter, she removed his shoes because she was used to seeing him do the same at the start of every episode.
    • Quotes

      Fred Rogers: From the time you were very little, you've had people who have smiled you into smiling, people who have talked you into talking, sung you into singing, loved you into loving. So, on this extra special day, let's take some time to think of those extra special people. Some of them may be right here, some may be far away. Some may even be in heaven. No matter where they are, deep down you know they've always wanted what was best for you. They've always cared about you beyond measure and have encouraged you to be true to the best within you. Let's just take a minute of silence to think about those people now.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jeremy Renner/Derek Hough/Mrs. Joanne Rogers/Christine and the Queens feat. Dâm-Funk (2018)
    • Soundtracks
      Won't You Be My Neighbor?
      Music and lyrics by Fred Rogers

      Performed by Fred Rogers

      Courtesy of the Fred Rogers Company

    User reviews228

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    It is inspiring to be reminded of what kindness and love is all about
    When we think of radicals and revolutionary figures of the sixties, names like Ché Guevara or Stokely Carmichael might come up, but probably the last person we would think of would be Fred McFeely Rogers, the soft-spoken writer, producer, and star of the long-running children's television program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" (1968-2001). Yet the theme song that opened each show, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" with its line, "I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you," was a pretty radical idea to those who did not relish having some folks being their neighbor. Rogers' lifelong devotion to building an alternative community that could serve as a model of inclusion for children and adults to emulate is movingly documented by Oscar winning director Morgan Neville ("20 Feet from Stardom") in Won't You Be My Neighbor?

    The film is an inspiring tribute to Rogers, a pacifist and former ordained Presbyterian minister who, over a period of more than thirty years on television, stood for the idea that there is a divine spark in all of us that needs to be nurtured. Looking at Rogers' life and career through the eyes of those who knew him the best, those interviewed include his wife Joanne, his two sons John and James who describe the challenge of having "the second Christ as a father," cast members David Newell (Mr. McFeely), François Clemmons (Officer Clemmons), and Joe Negri ("Handyman"), and guests such as acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo-Ma.

    Rogers was originally drawn to educational television as a result of his disdain for the demeaning and violent cartoons that marked children's television programming at the time. While his show was usually lighthearted, he did not shun controversial topics such as death, feeling blue, divorce, and assassination which he talked about with the children after Bobby Kennedy was killed. While Neville does not go into any depth about Rogers' personal or political life, it does single out his stand against the Vietnam War, his bringing an African-American teacher and a group of black students into his home and, after the assassination of Martin Luther King, his invitation to a black police officer (Clemmons) to be on his show during which they sat and talked together with their feet in a wading pool.

    Also documented is Rogers' 1969 testimony before the United States Senate requesting a $20 million grant to continue funding PBS after their budget had been cut because of the Vietnam War. At the hearing, he won over the reluctant Rhode Island Senator John Pastore by reciting the lyrics to the song "What Do You Do with the Mad that You Feel?" After listening to the words, Pastore declared, "I think it's wonderful. I think it's wonderful. Looks like you just earned the $20 million." Teased by classmates for being overweight as a boy (they called him "Fat Freddie"), Rogers never forgot the pain of being an outsider and had to deal with his own problems of self-esteem and depression his whole life.

    Rogers' wife Joanne tells us that he used his puppets including Daniel Striped Tiger to reflect on his most vulnerable feelings, one of ten voices that he used on the program. One of the most moving sequences is his conversation with Jeff Erlanger, a severely disabled ten-year-old, in which they talk openly about disability and the sadness that often accompanies it. To make sure we know that he was not a saint, Neville recounts how Rogers told Clemmons not to be seen frequenting a gay bar because the show would lose sponsors, but also makes clear that he eventually came around to fully accept him regardless of his sexual preferences.

    The centerpiece of Won't You Be My Neighbor? is not politics, however, but Mister Rogers' ability to touch the lives of children and make them feel special, many of whom responded to him with lifelong affection. Accused of promoting a feeling of entitlement in each child, Rogers said, "Only people who take the time to see our work can begin to understand the depth of it." Professor Michael Long, the author of the 2015 book "Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers," says that he spent his life assuring children that no matter what they look like, no matter who they were, no matter where they came from, deep within them was something that was lovable and capable of loving." Especially today when some children are being used as political pawns, it is inspiring to be reminded of what kindness and love is all about.
    helpful•23
    3
    • howard.schumann
    • Jul 9, 2018

    FAQ1

    • Why in the world is this not nominated for an Academy Award?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 29, 2018 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
      • Будемо сусідами?
    • Filming locations
      • Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
    • Production company
      • Tremolo Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $22,835,787
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $475,419
      • Jun 10, 2018
    • Gross worldwide
      • $22,844,741
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 35 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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