Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host, Fred Rogers.

Director:

Morgan Neville

Stars:

Fred Rogers, Joanne Rogers, John Rogers

45 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fred Rogers	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joanne Rogers	...	Herself
John Rogers	...	Himself
Jim Rogers	...	Himself
Bill Isler	...	Himself
Hedda Sharapan	...	Herself
Junlei Li	...	Himself
Max King	...	Himself
Margaret Whitmer	...	Herself (as Margy Whitmer)
Tom Junod	...	Himself
Betty Seamans	...	Herself (as Elizabeth Seamans)
Joe Negri	...	Himself
David Newell	...	Himself
Elaine Crozier	...	Herself
George Wirth	...	Himself

Storyline

Charmingly soft-spoken and yet powerfully incisive expressing his profound ideals, Fred Rogers was a unique presence on television for generations. Through interviews of his family and colleagues, the life of this would-be pastor is explored as a man who found a more important calling to provide an oasis for children in a video sea of violent bombardment. That proved to be his landmark series, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968), a show that could gently delve into important subjects no other children's show would have dared for that time. In doing so, Rogers experienced a career where his sweet-tempered idealism charmed and influenced the world whether it be scores of children on TV or recalcitrant authorities in government. However, that beloved personality also hid Rogers' deep self-doubts about himself and occasional misjudgments even as he proved a rock of understanding in times of tragedy for a world that did not always comprehend a man of such noble character.

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Plot Keywords:

race relations | children's programming | teachable moment | tolerance | kindness | 

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Taglines:

You Loved a Lot of Films This Year, But Only One Film Loved You Back.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$475,419, 10 June 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$22,609,437, 13 September 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tremolo Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was tentatively scheduled to be broadcast on PBS as an episode of Independent Lens (1999) in early 2019.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Fred Rogers: [at his piano] Come on over a minute. I just had some ideas that I've been thinking about for quite while about modulation. It seems to me that there are different themes in life, and one of my main jobs, it seems to me, is to help, through the mass media for children, to help children through some of the difficult modulations of life.

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Connections

Features Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: 1101: Death of a Goldfish (1970)

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Soundtracks

Ghost Waltz
written and performed by Caleb Sampson
Courtesy of Kathy & Oliver Sampson

User Reviews

This is a must see

Full disclosure: I am a cynical, negative atheist. This was one of the best films I have ever seen. I was profoundly moved by the vision of such a kind, gentle, subtle and genuine human. Fred Rogers was a Christian Republican. Today's "Christian" "Republicans" should be forced to watch and discuss this film. Doing so would change the world.