A cynical adult may look at Mr. Rogers (full name Fred McFeely Rogers which is a bit off-putting considering he has a show for children) and think, “he can’t really be that nice, there’s got to be something wrong with him?” Because of all that cynicism in the world there were a variety of rumors floating around about Mr. Rogers including that he had several tattoos and was a NAVY seal in Vietnam (both inaccurate). In reality, or at least the reality that is portrayed in “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”, is that Mr. Rogers really was the thoughtful, sensitive and caring human being he portrays himself to be on television. He was often sick as a child and had a lot of insecurity and so he decided to make a show for children to help them understand all the intense and very real emotions children feel but often can’t explain or understand. In this time of turmoil in our country, it was comforting to think that someone could actually be the person they are on television without some seedy underbelly of despair and depravity. The overall documentary was a bit choppy at times and didn’t always flow smoothly as it was trying to weave in historical references of the time along with Fred’s history and the history of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”  That being said, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” was still an enjoyable look into the show I spent many hours watching as a child. It was also interesting to note that Mr. Rogers didn’t really care for most television that was out there for children and I kept wondering to myself what he would think today. Would you be impressed with shows such as Wild Kratts and Octonauts that work on being educational and fun? Would he be saddened by other shows that seem to undermine children’s intelligence and capacity to understand.

Grade: B+