This movie could be slightly better if Senator Smith's proposal wasn't the stupidest idea I've ever heard. His idea isn't child-like, it's retard-like. It's fucking dumb. Despite all this, the movie remains watchable today, except for the fact that we easily could begun with the moment that Smith was named Senator. The beginning drags on, unnecessarily. Luckily for us the movie sets itself on a uniform trajectory from kinda bad to pretty good.

Today, the story told here is a dream and a fantasy, as there is too much cynicism and vitriol spewed at and within Washington on a daily basis for the Founding Fathers' virtues and ideals to have any place. Nevertheless, this is a pretty great time capsule of a film, in a time when Americans had faith in their government getting them out of a crisis. Although, it feels like one of those "How a Bill becomes a Law" educational cartoons sometimes.

You gotta love the idealistic Jimmy Stewart battling the evil forces of Washington politics. Hell, you gotta love Jimmy Stewart doing anything.

The beginning was unnecessarily drawn out, the depiction of group mentality was laughable, the idealistic themes were overblown and made little sense. Worst of all, the plot is driven by inexplicable leaps in logic (for instance: Taylor tries to frame Smith for stealing dimes from boy scouts instead of just using the fact that at one point in the movie he actually runs around Washington assaulting news reporters). Luckily Stewart is a wonderful actor or this movie would be absolute bunk.

a dude fighting the good fight

Naive and exaggerated? Sure, but it's charmingly naive and appropriately exaggerated. Capra makes movies that look at morality and integrity in black and white terms. It's not the kind of world view I want from every film I see, but it works wonderfully here. I like a lack of cynicism every now and then. But aside from all that, the movie was quite entertaining and interesting. Stewart was born to play this role. It's not a movie I'm going to watch a million times, but I'm very glad I saw it.

if only we could cut the last 2 minutes, I would have said I couldn't decide whether it is among worst or greatest, as it's so blindly naive and idealistic but at the same time realistic to the end. It shows the corruption in the whole machinery, adheres to the original values but the salvation comes only accidentally and through some heroic individual deeds -while retaining the very institutional setup. Ideologically, can be diversely interpreted. would be consistent if the end were different.

Terrific Capra tale with a great cast. "What is he, animal, vegetable or mineral? Maybe he's an oyster!" Recommended.

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Another of Capra's classics that assails politics, corruption and common economics. Stewart is always an elation to watch, and here he is just as uplifting as he has been in the rest of his filmography.