Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

I once read a criticism of the character Captain America that derided him for being a jingoistic symbol of nationalistic pride. The counter to this was that Cap isn't a mindless, flag-waving dweeb, and he doesn't represent what America IS; he is aspirational, fighting for what America SHOULD be. It's not that he believes America is the shining city on the hill, it's that he's trying to make it that way. It's leading by example, doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do. It's hopelessly idealistic, but there's a optimism to it that's kind of romantic. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is pretty much "what if Steve Rogers was a senator". A young man gets plucked from obscurity, dropped into a position of power, is expected to be a performing chimp, and surprises everybody by actually trying to do the job. What's interesting is that Frank Capra, a director whose filmography would lend you to believe he has an almost self-destructive level of naivete, populates the world around his titular character (played by Jimmy Stewart in maximum "aw, shucks" mode) with either active corruption or passive malaise. Those who aren't in on the con are willing to turn a blind eye from it, likely in the hopes of getting their con through the system down the line in exchange for not rocking the boat on the current one. I would call it a cynical take on the world, if we didn't have evidence time and time and time again of the government functioning in this exact way, with favors for favors and backroom deals being the norm, not the exception. Hell, if anything, Mr. Smith might go overboard in showing the corruption, what with the montage in the last 20 minutes showing gangsters roughing up Great Value Boy Scouts and running them off the road in a rather violent disinformation campaign, but it sure does get the point across. So, yes, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington stands out, and considering the time it was made in, it's all the better for it. Its hope and charm may be innocent and a little pie-in-the-sky aspirational, but there's nothing wrong with dreaming of a better world and for someone to champion such a cause. And if you're going to get an actor to be the patron saint of the downtrodden little man, you can scarcely do better than Jimmy Stewart. When the movie calls on him to be the wide-eyed newcomer, he nails it; when he needs to be the enthusiastic optimist, he's there. And when he needs to be the outraged everyman, by God, he nails that too. His passion in the closing half hour, as he filibusters, his voice cracking and barely a whisper as he rails against a system that is not only broken, but those who broke it show no interest in fixing it, is what we all wish our elected officials could be. So it saddens me to say that, unfortunately, for some reason, this didn't connect with me as much as I wanted to, and I can't point to a reason why. While it does feel a bit over-long, I can't point to anything that feels like padding. Stewart's innocence and starry-eyed borders on an obtuse caricature, but there's also an earnestness behind it. The conspiracy of corruption, and the support structure that stands by and lets it happen, would feel exaggerated if we didn't see examples of it on the reg in real life. Even the romantic angle, which the movie doesn't really need but adds a sweet touch of a cynic's heart being warmed, is passable. I can't point to a single thing in this movie as a fault. I can only say that I was expecting a movie that felt like a rallying cry, and ended up more like your mom and dad saying it was time to go to your aunt's house for Sunday dinner. So, my rating for the movie is purely on my inability to feel fully invested in it, and is more reflective of being appreciative of how it does what it does. It's still a classic piece of cinema. Art just hits everyone different, and this didn't hit as hard as I'd hoped.