I was skeptical about Hanks as Fred Rogers, but came away pleasantly surprised—in no small part because TH steers well clear of FR's specific accent and mannerisms. His performance never descends into impressionism, or parody.
(There are a couple of moments early on where the movie seems to be gently mocking the show, distancing itself from it, but they're brief, and they pass quickly.)
I'd been primed to expect Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood to be kind of dark, and it was, but it's also careful and open-ended in its treatment of Fred—he's allowed to remain a bit of an enigma, which feels right for a project like this.
Some of the movie's stylistic quirks struck me as more quirky than was needed, but they weren't hugely obtrusive even when they didn't quite work—and honestly, they usually did, well enough. Sometimes more than well enough.
Anyway, if you've got the relationship I have with Fred Rogers' work, you may be nervous too. I can't promise you'll like the movie, but I can say that it never felt gratuitous, disrespectful, or cartoonish.
And I have a hunch that Hanks' iteration of Fred is going to stick with me for quite a while.
Oh, and if you go, be sure to hang around for the mid-credits sequence. It's a lovely little treat.
