Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Or is it my favorite?! Just a wholesome, thought-provoking expose on the weirdness of typical American city thinking and behavior, being brought to light by a naïve young man who has down-to-earth small-town common sense! From the IMDB age-bracket reviews, it seems this movie might not appeal to the younger, especially girls under 18 (go figure). A great Frank Capra-directed film. I also really like "You can't take it with you", but that film is more off-beat and goofy. Enjoy this film when you're in the mood for something to remind you of "goodness". Whatever that is!

Thank you Library of Congress for restoring this wonderful film. Initially, I expected this Frank Capra flick to overwhelm me with sentimentality and false, overly contrived setups. Well, yes and yes with two huge buts: Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The acting is so good, so right in tone, humor, pace -- it makes everything believable (even the silly court scene at the end). It's a feel-good movie that still has a bitter-sweet message. Jean Arthur's acting is beyond anything I've recently seen -- every emotion is perfectly telegraphed with just the right intonation. Gary Cooper (who was nominated for best actor) sprinkles his complex role with the necessary amount of macho pixie dust. Highly recommended. Can't wait to see Mr. Smith goes to Washington.

Gary Cooper plays the title character here perfectly, even though the character lacks credibility in terms of how he is so astute about some things and yet so naïve about others. Jean Arthur also has an interesting character - one for whom we are not sure when and when not she is pretending. The romance between these two characters is simple formulaic and predictable, but the messages that the film has help to pull it through. It is a slight satire on the media, the justice system, and generally the way in which we function as individual human beings. The film also ends on a high note, with many laughs towards the end of the courtroom sequences. It is a bit fanciful, and arguably Stander is added in just for laughs, plus there are a few other minor imperfections. However 'minor' is the key word here: it is overall enjoyable and well made stuff either way.

No computer generated images, small 1:33 ratio black and white screen and yet there is nothing in the world that comes close to the intimacy of this experience. Just look at Gary Cooper listening, trying to understand. Look at Jean Arthur falling in love. We have lost something very important along the way and it's not just innocence. How is it possible that nobody can get anywhere near this simple magic trick? They used to call Capra films "Capracorn" I wonder what they call Adam Sandler, Freddy Prinze Jr, and Jennifer Love Hewit comedies today? I want to jump into a time machine and go to those days, the days of Mr Deeds, Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur and Frank Capra.