Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Review

Welcome to the third film of Pop Cultural Opinion's Oscar marathon, continuing until February 27, 2012. Today, I will be reviewing a Best Picture nominated film from 1939, said to be one of the best film years of all time. The film is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. This film, although directed by Frank Capra, and starring the brilliant James Stewart, it lost Best Picture to the more revolutionary color film "Gone with the Wind". Both films are considered classics by today's standards, and the one that's considered better is debatable, but I think this review shows my personal opinion. So, from 1939, here's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington:

 Some people say Wizard of Oz, others say Gone with the Wind, but in my opinion, the best of the amazing year of 1939 HAS to be Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Excellent direction, awesome acting, and some of the best editing I have ever seen in a film. It deserves every single accolade it received, and more. The story is actually quite complex and interesting. It's about Jefferson Smith, played by James Stewart, who get's nominated for senator after the death of Senator Samuel Foley. Smith was nominated because of his work as the leader of the state's Boy Rangers group. Mr. Smith is a little nervous when he starts out, but he starts to get the hang of it, and tries to introduce some of his ideas, most of them are turned down, so he has to stand up for what he believes in, and by stand up, I really do mean "STAND UP". The story is very well done, even if it seems slightly far-fetched at times. Also, some of the scenes following the story are extremely well done, especially the ending. The characters are very likable and anything but cliches, especially Mr. Smith himself. They feel like real life people, while still being interesting. The acting is outstanding. Every actor, no matter how long they're on screen, leave a big impact. I was even shocked a young African-American boy was in the movie, as this was a time where racism was more widespread. Even still, Gone with the Wind had an African-American woman in a bigger role, so it's not a huge deal, even though it was still a great move by Capra to break the Black/White barrier. Also, James Stewart does completely TREMENDOUS in this film. In my personal opinion, Stewart is the second best actor ever (Behind Chaplin), and this has got to be one of his best roles. He's so intense when he needs to be, but when the movie is calm, so is Stewart. He's actually quite quirky at those parts, but in the climax, he is just powerful with every word. Also, Jean Arthur get's completely lost in her character, and between her and Stewart, it's hard to decide who's better. Now, as every recent review I do does this eventually, it's time for "The Best and Worst of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington". The best, undoubtedly, has to be the last half an hour or so. This is where Mr. Smith talks non-stop, I'm not gonna say what he's talking about, and as time goes by, he get's more and more exhausted, and while he's doing this, his friends try to rally for him, but all attempts fail. The scene is actually depressing, with Mr. Smith talking for hours with no one listening, and his friends failing to rally for him. I won't tell you what happens in the end, but it's a big surprise. The worst of this film... The only huge flaw I can think of is how they portray the government. I know, I know, the government sucked back then like it does now, but it seems to portray the government representatives as snooty, hate-filled, etc, which can get on your nerves at times. Even with that flaw, this is still an awesome, timeless, wonderfully edited, amazingly acted, and tremendously written film, well worthy of a watch for all ages.

5/5