Oscars: A Beautiful Day vs. A Marriage Story

This might seem like cheating or at least a disorganized set of reviews. I don’t have enough chutzpah to do a movie review for each time I see an Oscar movie. Also, I feel like you would get inundated if I was able to put together an individual post for each movie. My choice to talk about these two films in tandem was not an accident. These two movies are, in some ways, akin to one another, but we will get to that in a minute. And so, here we go into the inaugural Slackers Guide to the Oscars piece.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood suggests a fluffy, upbeat piece about the one and only Fred Rogers. You wouldn’t be entirely wrong with that assumption. Mister Rogers is at the heart of this film, and there are plenty of light-hearted moments to get lost in. And that’s right around where this movie turns away from expectation.

Rather than focus on the man, the myth, the legend, the film focuses on Llyod Vogel, a fictionalized version of Tom Junod. He was a writer for Esquire magazine. His piece on Mister Rogers for Esquire that debuted in November of 1998, was the inspiration for this film. Lloyd, played by Matthew Rhys, is so disconnected from who Mister Rogers is, I got the impression his character had never watched the show. So when his editor sends him to interview Fred Rogers, played by Tom Hanks, for a short puff piece, Lloyd is extremely nonplussed and disgruntled.

The story unfolds to the audience in the same structure as an episode of Mister Rogers, right down to the use of Picture Picture. Mister Rogers comes into the opening scene by walking into his living room. He takes off his blazer and dress shoes, exchanging them for Keds and a sweater knitted by his mother, and sets the stage for the lessons we are going to learn with him today.

This decision to frame the story arc in such a familiar context brings the audience into a learning frame of mind. We are, in effect, brought back to our living room floors, staring up at Mister Rogers, ready to hear what he has to say. This childlike approach is disarming when applied to the emotional struggles of an adult. At times, it produces laughter that cuts down the poignant simplicity. Other times, it hits home as a reminder that lessons from a children’s show host can absolutely be applied to our lives now.

Our protagonist, not having this emotional attachment to the show and its host, allows us to watch a man discover what we, as the audience, already knew. Mister Rogers is a marvel. Although Lloyd is finding out that the difference between Mister Rogers and Fred Rogers amounts to almost nothing. In that, the audience probably gets to experience something less known. This journey of discovery breaks down the emotional walls Lloyd has built up over the years. He allows himself to overcome the struggles he has been running from with honesty and maturity.

The performances in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood were all excellent. The cast worked together to create an adult episode of the classic kids’ show. Matthew Rhys did not snag any nominations this season. I feel like this always happens for films where a famous person is set as a supporting role. The emotional attachment to the well-known character overshadows the actual protagonist.

Tom Hanks has earned himself a Supporting Actor nomination for his portrayal of the beloved Mister Rogers. I cannot think of anyone else who could have taken the role and been more successful than Hanks. This could just be me, and it probably is, but there were times where I felt like Mister Rogers slipped just a little bit and slid into Forrest Gump instead. Some of the mannerisms were reminiscent of the Southern idiot savant. But, again, that might just be me.

A Marriage Story

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson headline A Marriage Story, produced and released by Netflix. Created by Noah Baumbach, A Marriage Story follows Charlie (Driver), an up and coming Broadway director, and Nicole (Johansson), his perpetual leading lady. The film opens with, what are essentially, love letters being read by Charlie and Nicole. The backdrop to these monologues is the rehearsals for and a snippet of Nicole’s final performance in Charlie’s production of Electra. We find out quickly that we have been dropped into one of their mediation sessions, which, spoiler alert, doesn’t go well.

Like A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Charlie and Nicole are plunged into a journey full of emotion. However, the lens in which we experience this journey is quite different. As the film is dealing with the dissolution of a marriage, the choice to break down the storytelling into fragmented vignettes makes a lot of sense. We are shuttled between Nicole and Charlie’s stories like the child caught up in the divorce. It is very much structured in a “he said, she said” format. The decision on which version is the real version is ultimately left up to the audience to decide. The film’s focus is on raw emotion rather than on judgment.

I am going to pause here for a second. I need to talk about the performances in A Marriage Story. Seeing Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson up for Best Performance in their respective categories is a no brainer. Both actors brought visceral performances to the silver screen. I believed they were a couple going through a messy and confusing divorce. Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Wallace Shawn, and Ray Liotta each offer helping hands, bringing to life a realistic portrait of the trials and tribulations of such a process.

The realism portrayed in A Marriage Story made it no surprise to learn that this is a semi-autobiographical work. This was the work of someone who had most definitely been in the trenches and has the battle scars to prove it. I read on CinemaBlend Nicholas Cage said this film should be required viewing for anyone considering divorce. While never having been through the process, after watching A Marriage Story, I can see why he would say that. The portrait painted of family law was dirty and grotesque.

For those who are affected by films and have a tendency to cry, having this particular Oscar contender on Netflix is a saving grace. If I had watched this in a theater, I would have been sitting in said theater until the last credit rolled to allow the oozing emotion to settle down a bit. Having the option to pause the movie was also a great help. We had to do it twice to give ourselves the span of a bathroom break to recoup.

And so…?

There is a reason A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is not in contention for a Best Picture Oscar. It’s the same reason that the myth about Mister Rogers having two full sleeves of tattoos still persists. Patience and genuine kindness aren’t believable. Both of these films have an equal foothold in reality. Yet, the more credible story is of a marriage falling apart rather than that of Mister Rogers helping a struggling writer.

I say credible, but that might not be the right word. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood felt idealistic and rosy, cutting the validity of the film. The performances in A Marriage Story add more believability to the story. Untethered emotions are far more relatable than tempered, thoughtful expression.

That said, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was the better-constructed story and a cohesive package. Fred Rogers is a very well known entity to the audience. The film wastes no time on building him as a character because there is no need. He is instead poised as a narrator for the audience. He is set in the background as the compass for the rest of the action unfolding. In this capacity, Lloyd and his struggles are not overshadowed by the celebrity that is Mister Rogers. The audience is given permission to focus on Lloyd so we can learn about him and experience the story through his perspective.

The focus on depicting raw emotion hindered the overall storytelling in A Marriage Story. Nicole and Charlie were not fully defined characters for the audience, particularly Nicole. I was left with a lot of doubt as to her motivations and endgames. She takes great care in trying to orchestrate serving Charlie with the divorce papers out of concern for his feelings. However, as we discover through Charlie’s struggle, she made sure to visit a long list of lawyers. By experiencing this through Charlie’s perspective and not Nicole’s, we are left to assume that this extended search was meant to impede Charlie’s success in finding a lawyer. Was she just out to get what she wanted? Was she being manipulated? Or was she the one manipulating? I have no idea.

This ambiguity manifested in Charlie’s story as well, however not to the same degree and definitely not to the same level of doubt. His affair was dropped in through Nicole’s storyline and emotional experience and never really explored on Charlie’s. This did not color my impression of Charlie as much as it should have. And that’s not because of the double standard Laura Dern’s character, Nora rails so passionately about. (As a side note, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Laura Dern got the Oscar for Best Supporting based almost exclusively on that monologue alone. Fabulous, poignant writing and acting.) It didn’t undercut Charlie because it was added almost as an afterthought. He dismisses his lover with the same attention he gives Wallace Shawn’s character, Frank. If you treat a woman the same way you treat Vizzini, I’m not going to buy a torrid love affair. Or any love affair.

Communication and anger are two common themes between the two movies. A Marriage Story circumvents dealing with communication and with resolving anger. I have seen the word compassionate often used in describing this film, but I didn’t feel a lot of that throughout the movie. Several vignettes fit the bill, but the movie as a whole was a scathing indictment of divorce proceedings. In the end, the message is relationships are only successful if one party caves to another’s wishes. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood allows us to experience the struggle adults have with communicating and expressing emotions through the same lens we learned about these things as children. It even ends on Mister Rogers outwardly expressing his frustration. A great way to punctuate the film. Simply reinforcing, no one is exempt from these feelings, you have to work through them.