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The new Mr. Rogers documentary 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' only has 1 bad review from a critic

wont you be my neighbor
wont you be my neighbor

Focus Features

  • The new Mr. Rogers documentary, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?," has been (almost) universally beloved by critics.

  • Only one review has so far been negative.

  • The movie has a near-perfect 99% critic score and 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.


 

"Won't You Be My Neighbor?," the beloved Morgan Neville-directed documentary about "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" host Fred Rogers, which both critics and audiences have come to adore, has a near-perfect 99% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. But one negative review is holding it back from the coveted perfect 100% score.

Dan Schindel for The Film Stage is the only critic out of 134 to give the movie a negative review. In the review, Schindel writes, "there are glimpses of a more complex human being throughout the film, one who would have made for a much better subject."

Schindel goes on to say that the movie "brushes by any details of Rogers’ life which suggest a more complex or flawed individual, such as his sometimes seemingly megalomaniacal devotion to his 'mission' or his pressuring a gay cast member to stay closeted. Despite his bland, wholesome image, there are enough hints of a better portrait that could have been made of Rogers to render this one a disappointment."

He ultimately gave the movie a letter grade of "C." But he seems to be alone in his sentiment, particularly among fellow critics. Audiences are also loving the movie, and it has a 98% audience score out of 971 user ratings as of Friday morning. It recently opened in select theaters nationwide after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

"Won't You Be My Neighbor?" has been praised by critics for its timely reminder that there is still some humanity left in the world. Deadline calls it the "perfect antidote for the Trump era." Indiewire's David Ehrlich writes, "Mr. Rogers began every show by saying 'Let’s make the most of this beautiful day,' but 'Won’t You Be My Neighbor?' never loses sight of the work required to fulfill that hope."

It's hard to argue with that.

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