Whether you’re a movie buff or only visit your local theater once in a blue moon, chances are incredibly strong you're familiar with Tom Hanks, who’s been one of Hollywood’s shiniest stars for decades now. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t seen at least one of his movies, and he’s returning to the big screen to play television icon Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
Well, evidently Tom Hanks is a chameleon in the Mr. Rogers role among a select few, because during a recent episode of Jeopardy!, none of the contestants were able to identify the actor. See for yourself.
There’s no question that Tom Hanks was an excellent choice to play Mr. Rogers, but it’s curious that none of the Jeopardy! contestants recognized him. Maybe the middle contestant, Beverly, figured out who he was, but she buzzed in too late. In typical Alex Trebek fashion, the game show host has a look on his face that says “Seriously, guys?!”
However, one of the commenters on this post from Twitter user marshlands provided a possible reason for why no one recognized Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers. Evidently from the spot where the contestants are located on the Jeopardy! stage, it’s difficult to read the clue being presented or the video clip being shown on its respective, small screen, which is only about 40 inches. So this might not be an issue of lack of recognition, but poor visuals.
If we also assume that none of these contestants had heard about A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’s forthcoming release, then it actually makes sense why they didn’t exclaim “Who is Tom Hanks?” Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped the influx of ridicule at folks shocked that no one said Tom Hanks, whose notable credits we could spend an entire article talking about.
Originally titled You Are My Friend, and based off a 1998 Esquire article written by Tom Junod, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood follows a journalist named Lloyd Vogel, who is loosely based on Junod and played by Matthew Rhys, who’s tasked with writing a profile on Tom Hanks’ Fred Rogers. This is Hanks’ only on-camera 2019 movie, though we did hear him reprise Woody in Toy Story 4 this past summer.
Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood has been met with critical acclaim in early reviews, ranking at 96% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Its cast also includes Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Cooper, Enrico Colantoni, Maryann Plunkett, Tammy Blanchard, Wendy Makkena, Carmen Cusack, Noah Harpster, Maddie Corman and Christine Lahti, among others.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood opens in theaters this Friday, November 22, and be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of the movie. Feel free to also look through our 2019 release schedule to plan your next trips to the silver screen accordingly.
