Critics of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" will call it cheesy, saccharine, and over-the-top in its character portrayals. Truth be told, I really can't call those critiques "wrong". But the thing is, this is such an endearing, aspirational film that I'm always able to look past the cheese-factor and enjoy the performances and overall message.
For a very basic overview, 'Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" tells the story of Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), a wide-eyed, aww-shucks, country boy rube who gets nominated for a U. S. Senate seat in large part to be a straight-ticket voter for the political machine of Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains). Once in Washington, however, both get a rude awakening: Smith discovers the graft in politics, while Paine begins to realize--to his horror--that Smith isn't just going to "tow the party line".
This movie remains an all-time classic for me because of the earnestness of its message. It isn't quite as perfect as Capra's more famous "It's A Wonderful Life", but I do see similarities between the two pictures. Here, the story strikes such a simple--yet highly emotional--chord. Though deep down I think we all realize that corruption and compromise are likely unavoidable aspects of politics, we like to cling to ideals of honesty and supreme integrity. That is precisely the journey that Smith takes viewers on. This isn't "politics as it is", but rather "politics as we want it to be", and I think there is equal room for both in politically-minded films.
Of course, casting Stewart is the cherry on top of all this. I'm not sure there has been a better individual born to play the Jefferson Smith role. His stuttering, stammering, "golly gee whiz" routine is perfect, yet when the chips are down he delivers a filibuster monologue almost guaranteed to have you in tears. Rains is fine as the corrupt Senator and Jean Arthur has a nice sidekick supporting role, but "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" is memorable because of Stewart. I very much liken his performance here to that of Henry Fonda's in "12 Angry Men". It's what we all wish we could be like--but know we'll probably never quite get there.
The only reason I can't give this a full 10 stars? It was made in 1939--or back when Hollywood didn't really know how to properly end movies other than an emotional flourish and a fade to black. With a less-rushed, more nuanced endgame, this one could have ascended even higher.
Overall, though, I consider this to be one of my favorite political films of all time. Make all the gritty, tough governmental thrillers you want (I love some of those too!), but I hold steady that a more aspirational, positive-minded effort like this isn't out-of-date or irrelevant simply because of that nature.
