Review of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) by Chris W — 16 Jan 2013

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is the sort of "small fish in a big pond" film that could only come from Frank Capra. Disillusioned with America's legislative system, Capra uses Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as a vehicle to stir up controversy and poke the issue of political corruption with a stick, by dressing it up as a satire with a romantic comedy element. And stir up controversy it did.

This movie didn't hit me as hard as I expected it would. Its heart was in the right place, James Stewart's "aw, shucks" demeanor is a stark contrast to the corrupt senate and has you rooting for him the whole way, the acting is stellar from him and Claude Raines, and all in all this movie is extraordinarily well put together. However I feel this movie is a little too energetic and heavy handed in its story telling. What I mean is it's too quick paced and I had the feeling Capra was spoon feeding me the movie's metaphors and left me nothing to think about after the credits abruptly appeared.

I didn't buy into this movie the same as everyone else, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize its quality and historical significance. And then again, this is the film that shot James Stewart to stardom. And for that I owe it a debt of gratitude.