Thread:Rystrouse renewed/@comment-5368694-20191124061159

I notice that you've been trying to erase the classification of Tom Hanks's portrayal of Rogers as an antagonist lately. Now I know that you might not agree with me here, but you may want to read what Marielle Heller said about this version of Mister Rogers in response to a question about why she wanted to direct A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood:

"It was the script [by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster]. I felt like watching a grown person grappling so deeply with their emotions in a real way was something I never got to see onscreen. I also thought their script was so smart because Mr. Rogers can’t be the lead of a movie — he’s not someone with enough conflict. He doesn’t have the dynamic nature you need for a protagonist for a movie, but to have him be essentially the antagonist of a movie — who comes into someone’s life and flips it upside down through his philosophy and the way he lived his life — was so smart."

It may help to know that an antagonist does not need to be a villain, but rather someone who struggles centrally with the protagonist. Antagonists do not necessarily need to undergo significant character development, but protagonists do, and it is not Mister Rogers but Lloyd Vogel who fills the protagonistic role in the film.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/marielle-heller-landing-tom-hanks-a-beautiful-day-neighborhood-1236840 