One didn’t need to grow up watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to understand his impact and contribution to making the world a kinder place.

With some creative liberty at the helm, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood tells the true story of the evolution between America’s most lovable man and jaded journalist Tom Juno, a relationship that has become infamous in the life and legacy of Mister Rogers. Both misunderstood in their own way– one for being too empathetic and the other for being too selfish– the beauty of Marielle Heller’s biopic lies in showing how a little love can go a long way.

Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), an agitated investigative journalist at Esquire magazine, is notorious for writing excessively critical articles about his subjects. When he is assigned a “puff piece” – a 300-word assignment on Mr. Fred Rogers for the magazine’s American Heroes feature – Lloyd is both baffled and intrigued. His intentions to go deeper than the request and uncover any scandals that may be hidden about the nicest man in the world upsets his wife Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson), who idolizes the TV personality. Upon their first meeting, Lloyd isn’t convinced that Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) is being authentic, questioning his ability to connect to any man, woman, and child. As the duo spends more time together, first out of obligation and then out of desire, Lloyd begins to see Mister Rogers in a new light, opening up his mind and heart in the process.

Marielle Heller’s character-driven drama is rich in emotional tension and hits far deeper than traditional surface-level biopics. She examines the yin/yang of human behavior and subtly shows how no man, including Mister Rogers, can be happy all of the time. Lloyd leads with his anger and pessimism, and so his outbursts are expected. However, the darker, mysterious side to Mister Rogers is only touched upon. The final scene tells so much through the simplicity of playing piano keys, making it perhaps one of the most powerful moments in a film this year.

As expected, Tom Hanks is magnetic as the lovable Mister Rogers. It would be a huge disservice to classify Hanks’ performance as an “imitation,” he fully embodies every little detail and mannerism that made Fred Rogers iconic. The slightly uncontrollable body trembles that come with aging, the deeply-set eye wrinkles from smiling so large and so often, all these and more aide in Hanks’ transformation into the beloved TV personality. Matthew Rhys, arguably the protagonist of the film, gives a stellar performance and nails every emotional arch. His vulnerability as a man who is lost and then found is unmatched.

For those who didn’t have the pleasure of growing up with Mister Rogers on television, it might be beneficial to first watch Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville’s documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?. Neville’s film paints a more intricate portrait of the man behind the persona, including personal anecdotes and character-building circumstances that are omitted in Heller’s biopic. However, one doesn’t necessarily need context to enjoy this film, we all know a good man when we see one and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a truly remarkable film about a truly remarkable man.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (2019)

Starring Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper

Directed by Marielle Heller

Written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster

Distributed by Sony Pictures. 108 minutes.

Opening this Friday in theaters everywhere.