A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

3 Reasons to See It: 1) It's a heart-warming story; 2) Tom Hanks, and 3) some interesting filming choices (in a good way).

3 Reasons to Not See It: 1) You will cry (and if you don't, well ...), 2) -- I can't think of anything. Just go see it.

NOTE: After watching this, I really wish I could demonstrate the same level of compassion and selflessness that Mr. Roger's exhibited. I hope you see the movie. I hope it inspires you in the same way. And, in being disciplined to that characteristic, I hope we make those in our lives feel a little more faith, a little more hope, and a little more love.

Going in: I went opening night with my wife and youngest daughter. I expect it'll be a tear-jerker. From the trailers, it looks like they framed the character of Mr. Rogers in a story about someone else. But that's honestly a cool way of doing it.

Popcorn: 9/10. It's a feel-good film and points at what mankind can be like through demonstrating compassion. The themes were more about forgiveness and dealing with emotions. It's moving enough, I probably couldn't watch it more than once or twice over a month or two. But would it ever be worth it. Probably a definite buy. It's not often that a movie makes me read everything about someone and wish I could be a fraction of their character.

Art: 9/10. Great acting and set choices as well as really good story. Not much that was wrong with the movie.

Acting: 6/6. Tom Hanks. Period. But the other actors demonstrated their own strengths and while seeing Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers was the most obvious casting choice of the century, seeing the other actors was a treat.

Music: 3/4. I almost gave full points for the score. It's a blend of original orchestra music and the music by Fred Rogers. In an interesting twist, it's Mr. Roger's music that was probably the more impactful because it was fully interwoven through the story.

Filming: 3/4. They went old school. The frames were shot with that grainy 80's/90's feel. The transitions were done in Fred Roger's neighborhood style but I'm going to save that for set design.

Art Dept: 4/4. There's more than what I can cover here. The transitions were an interesting choice and at the same time appropriate. When you see the film, you'll understand. There was some CGI work done with old footage and while it wasn't a new thing, it was still done well. And finally, there was one moment in the movie where the makeup was noticeable in a good way.

Editing: 3/4. Pretty standard editing. The pacing wasn't noticeable.

Story: 8/8. This was interesting from the beginning. The entire movie is basically wrapped in an episode of the TV show which is really odd and lovable at the same time. The entire story is there to evoke emotion and it does so very well (or I'm an old sob; either way).

Directing: 6/6. There are a ton of decisions that made the movie and it was well executed. Everything fell into place and it was worth the money to see.

Production: 4/4. The movie was well worth seeing and I'm glad it was made. I wish we had more.