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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 29 June 2018
The unexpected superheroes of summer? Mister Rogers and RBG

By JAKE COYLE able children are."
NEW YORK (AP) — Escap- What has given Neville
ism is usually the domain of hope is the overwhelm-
big-budget spectacles, but ing response to "Won't You
a pair of blockbuster docu- Be My Neighbor." Some
mentaries has caught on theaters have held char-
at the summer box office ity drives alongside screen-
partly because they're a ings. Tales of moviegoers
respite from today's head- overcome with emotion
lines. have been rampant. "Frig-
The Fred Rogers docu- gin' face faucet, dude,"
mentary "Won't You Be comedian-actor Kumail
My Neighbor" and the Su- Nanjiani said on Twitter .
preme Court Justice Ruth "At a time when there isn't
Bader Ginsburg portrait a lot of optimism about our
"RBG" have each played to communal bonds, this film
some of the season's most shows me that people care
packed theaters. In eight about these things," said
weeks, "RBG" has made Neville. "It's this idea that
$10.9 million, a mammoth kindness is not quaint and
sum for any documentary. naive and old-fashioned
Morgan Neville's "Won't but that kindness is essen-
You Be My Neighbor" has tial to going forward. And
grossed $4.1 million in three I think a lot of people feel
weeks, including $1.9 mil- that way."
lion last weekend at 348 It's happened, fittingly, in
theaters. part because of the com-
Both movies have cracked munal experience of mov-
the top 10 movies at the box iegoing, something that
office, ranking an 85-year- wouldn't have been pos-
old justice and a deceased sible had both documenta-
Presbyterian minister in mul- ries headed straight to Net-
tiplexes alongside Span- This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg flix. Bowles said the back-
dexed superheroes and in "RBG." bone of the audience for
supernatural thrillers. Doc- Associated Press "RBG" has been "mothers,
umentaries, often sober daughters and grandmoth-
counter-programming for Ginsburg rose to promi- when her fellow Supreme avoid politics and instead ers." "People are looking
the summer months, are in- nence four years later Court justice Anthony Ken- focus on Rogers' humanist, around and they're saying:
stead supplying the movie when she co-founded the nedy, four years her junior, compassionate lessons. We want shared experi-
season's most potent well- Women's Rights Project at announced his retirement. "People tried to politicize ences," said David Linde,
spring of feel-good inspira- the ACLU. Both were mod- "We'll run all summer," said Fred many times and he chief executive of Partici-
tion — particularly to liberal est, soft-spoken people Bowles of "RBG." always resisted. He never pant. "And these are real
moviegoers. driven by a sense of empa- It's the 17-year-old indie wanted to give a child or films directed by filmmak-
"It's an escape from what thy and a belief in commu- distributor's highest gross- a child's parents an excuse ers who intended them to
they're reading every day nity. ing release ever. (Second not to watch the show. be seen in the movie the-
in the newspapers or on- "Fred was telling 2-to-6- place for Magnolia be- And I kind of want to honor ater. I'm not surprised at all
line. These are both mes- year-olds how to be peo- longs to the 2017 James that," said Neville. "I'm try- people are flocking to see
sages of positivity and how ple and how to treat other Baldwin doc "I Am Not Your ing to as much as one can them in theaters."
people's good character people. And it feels like we Negro," another unexpect- in this day and age to find Participant Media , which
can triumph over horrible all need to be sat down ed hit that may have ben- things we can agree upon." was behind films like "An
situations," said Eamonn and be taught that lesson efited from a "Trump-effect" That has been especially Inconvenient Truth" and
Bowles, president of Mag- again," said Neville. "He at the box office.) challenging of late. As "Spotlight," blends movie-
nolia Pictures, which part- tried to teach us how to be- Neville wanted to make Neville's film hit theaters, making with a social mis-
nered with Participant Me- have in a community and "Won't You Be My Neigh- outraged swelled over the sion. It helped produce ar-
dia and CNN to distribute a society together, and the bor" because he felt Rog- Trump administration's poli- guably the first Hollywood
"RBG." value of civility and the val- ers' voice was missing from cy of separating immigrant film tailored to the Trump
"There's a huge swath of ue of honoring this relation- American culture. In 2015, children from parents who era — Steven Spielberg's
our country that's horribly ship with each other. And he made its opposite: "Best cross illegally into the Unit- fast-tracked ode to journal-
dissatisfied," added Bowles. we live in times that don't of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vi- ed States. A federal judge ism, "The Post" — and a very
"RBG and Fred Rogers, their honor that at all." dal." It depicted the fiery in California on Tuesday is- Mr. Rogers-like kids' drama
sensibilities lie in helping Both films arrive at an es- televised debates of Gore sued a nationwide injunc- about kindness, the box-
other people. Our current pecially fraught moment in Vidal and William F. Buckley tion temporarily stopping office hit "Wonder."
administration seems to American politics. On Tues- as the birth of today's com- the policy. "It's not spinach," Linde said
want to basically hurt peo- day, Ginsburg joined with bative TV news. "Fred would have been of "RBG." ''It's inspiration."
ple who are in need and Sonia Sotomayor in author- "Won't You Be My Neigh- heartbroken over what was Befitting a true summer
not see past the greater ing a scathing dissent to bor" features Rogers' pow- happening with children movie star, there's even an
humanity involved." the court's 5-4 ruling in favor erful gestures on behalf of being divided from their effort underway to get Gins-
Rogers and Ginsburg both of President Trump's travel equality and his passionate families," said Neville. "Fred burg her own action figure.
broke through in the late ban for seven Muslim-ma- advocacy for public televi- always thought first and A Kickstarter campaign
'60s and early '70s. "Mr. Rog- jority nations. Her reputa- sion . But the documentary foremost about the child sought $15,000 to make it
ers Neighborhood" made tion for tenacity was only — like its lifelong Repub- and child's experience and reality. So far it's received
its national debut in 1968. enhanced Wednesday lican subject — seeks to understanding how vulner- more than $360,000.q