Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Hey! That’s my background!

I really like “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. It’s one of my favorites. I’m not going to review it, I’m just going to talk about it and why I like it.

For those who don’t know, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” is about a man who is nominated to fill a senate seat and accidentally uncovers political corruption.

In short, I love this movie because of this:

“I guess this is just another lost cause, Mr. Paine. All you people don't know about lost causes. Mr. Paine does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for. And he fought for them once, for the only reason any man ever fights for them; because of just one plain simple rule: 'Love thy neighbor.'... And you know that you fight for the lost causes harder than for any other. Yes, you even die for them.”

That is the general theme of this movie.

The spoiler freshness seal for this movies spoilers broke about 60 years ago so I’m not gonna hold anything back.

After Smith is framed for corruption he manages to get to floor of the senate and filibusters before he is removed from office. During that filibuster he says some of the most amazing things ever said in the senate, fictional or not.

It’s a statement about honor and commitment to the values that make America what it is. And how values are only true when they are tested. If you claim you have a value but you abandon it as soon as it becomes hard to hold that value.

Mr. Smith is a man who hasn’t done anything wrong. And gives the impression that he’s never done a bad thing in his life. And yet, for most of the movie, he is framed and squewed until he resembles a bad guy. I think that’s one of the most important messages from this movie. It’s that sometimes, the person you hate is actually the one fighting for you and the person you are counting on is the one who can hurt you the most.

The other thing that makes this movie so special is that it shows the power of one man’s unyielding commitment to a “Lost Cause.” No matter what happens, they can’t shake him off until the truth is revealed. He doesn’t care what happens to himself in the process, he only cares about what is right and what is wrong. He chooses to act like every American should at a time when those we count on to represent America have failed.