I grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania in the 1960s. As a kid, my favorite television shows were Captain Kangaroo and two series that were broadcast from Philadelphia, Pixanne and Cartoon Corners with Gene London. I didn't even hear about Mister Rogers' Neighborhood until I went to college in the western part of the state in the 1970s. I quickly learned how closely Pittsburghers held the man to their hearts, even after they had left their own childhoods behind them. It wasn't difficult to jump onto this bandwagon, once I saw the show for myself.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is the story of journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), who is assigned by Esquire magazine to interview children's television show host Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) in 1998. Right away, because of Rogers' inquisitive and sympathetic nature, the interviewer becomes the interviewee. Rogers shows more interest and asks more personal questions than most people on the planet. And he is truly sincere about considering and listening to the answers.

Vogel is slightly unhinged by this development. He's a fight-or-flight kind of guy himself, whenever it comes to dealing with emotional or difficult issues. And he's got a few of them on his plate, left over from childhood. Now he meets -- and has to talk at length with -- a perfect stranger who basically encourages him to get in touch with his feelings. Yikes! At first, he doesn't know how to react. But you know what? It turns out that the techniques of child psychology can work with adults, too. Especially when the adults are acting like children.

I'm going to call this a Nonbeliever Story, in the manner of It's a Wonderful Life and even Miracle on 34th Street. Someone in trouble meets a person who is good, decent, grateful and totally genuine in offering advice and solutions, with no strings attached. Lloyd Vogel is the Nonbeliever, and Fred Rogers provides a Gateway to Answers -- if Lloyd will only listen. Can Fred help Lloyd turn in a better direction, before it's too late? We have to hope that he will.

And don't assume that you are immune from Mister Rogers' prompting gaze, boys and girls, just because you are watching him and Lloyd passively from a comfy theater seat. Be prepared for him to ask you to do something. He'll give you a full minute of silence to respond.

The plot fits into the framework of a Mister Rogers' Neighborhood show, complete with train-scale dioramas of the neighborhood, of Pittsburgh, and of Manhattan. After Fred walks through the door and dons his red sweater and blue sneakers, he introduces us to Lloyd's story. We witness everything as it happens. And in the end, after things wrap up, Fred reveals a finale photograph. Then he retrieves his jacket from the closet, sings about good feelings, and closes the door on the subject.

The soundtrack features many of Fred Rogers' songs, of course. I was quite impressed with two other tunes, though: "Northern Sky" by Nick Drake, and "On the Road to Find Out" by Cat Stevens. Both have melodies and lyrics that reflect perfectly the moods of the scenes. They linger in the mind, too. Listen for them.

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood aired with new episodes on PBS from 1968 to 2001. Reruns still air. Alas, Fred Rogers (1928-2003) is no longer with us. His widow and two sons helped the actors and producers by providing background information and support. And of course, veteran actor Hanks becomes Mister Rogers, right before our eyes. Welsh actor Matthew Rhys hadn't known about the children's show at all until this script came his way. Now he sure does. You'd like to think he was favorably impressed by the experience.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is based on the real-life interactions of Fred Rogers and Esquire magazine investigative reporter Tom Junod. What started out as a 400-word assignment became much more. Junod's resulting cover story, "Can You Say ... Hero?" appeared in the November 1998 issue. You can read it online, but I suggest that you do so only after you've seen the movie. You'll understand more of the vignettes if you watch first and read later. Then, from the print version, you can learn The Rest of the Story.

Anyone who can still sing the words to "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" and "It's Such a Good Feeling" should enjoy this film. I also recommend it to those who need a boost to their self-esteem. Really, even if you never watched Mister Rogers at work, you'll get a feel-good experience from watching Hanks portraying him here.

The bottom line is that any day can be a beautiful day in the neighborhood, if we only approach it in the proper way. Mister Rogers has been showing us how to do this, for 50 years.