Although the story behind Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is heartwarming, I did not find the writing too compelling. It paints a pretty straightforward picture of a complex issue. This might be my own taste, but I like movies most when their morals are complex and ambiguous rather than clearly defined. In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, we all know who the good guys and the bad guys are, and this sort of demarcation is not realistic. To me, it seems only Joseph Paine and possibly Saunders were complexly characterized. On the other hand, Jefferson Smith was pure and wholly “good” while Jim Taylor was a completely “bad” character. This type of characterization is common in most films such as the Star Wars trilogy but even that trilogy tried to humanize the villain.

You could argue that having the story be morally ambiguous would make it difficult to fulfill its purpose of populism. I would probably have to agree because when making a film with a moral goal makes it very difficult to keep it unbiased.

I wanted to make this post though to express some appreciation for the acting of this film because I think the acting is what truly carried the film and made it work. I can’t think of a single stale performance in this film. James Stewart is of course excellent in his portrayal of Jefferson Smith from his most timid moments to his power during the filibuster and then his final weakness near the end of the filibuster. James Stewart really captures the audience’s attention and you fall in love with his character by the end of the film. Even very minor characters had nice portrayals. Guy Kibbee captured Governor Hopper’s sycophantic fear pretty well, and it was fun to see the President of the Senate, acted by Harry Carey, hide his amusement. None of the performances were especially subtle but they conveyed the tone of the film well.