Saturday, February 3, 2007
If, as Tip O'Neill famously observed, all politics is local, then all campaigns are retail. But can retail succeed against the wholesale muscle of money, incumbency and dynasty?
That's the question implied in the title of "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?" and it's a question ...
[ read more ]Friday, February 2, 2007
At first glance, the savvy documentary "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?" appears to be about the underdog grass-roots campaign of an eager young adjunct professor from Washington University as he seeks to fill the shoes of Missouri Democrat Dick Gephardt in the House of Representatives ...
[ read more ]Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Frank Popper's "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?" is a first-rate, highly suspenseful doc about a 29-year-old, unknown poly-sci instructor who runs for Dick Gephart's senate seat. One observer describes the candidate as looking "like he's 12 and sounding like he's castrated." A mirror on our political system, the finale has you on the edge of your seat.
[ read more ]Friday, November 3, 2006
You rarely will find a political film so engaging, inspiring and moving as "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?"
In a country wooed by the Bush and Kennedy family trees, it?s hard for an average Joe to prove what he?s worth. Just ask goofy underdog Jeff Smith, a 29-year-old teacher from St. Louis. He was one of 10 candidates who, when former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt retired in 2004, was more than happy to take over the seat. Unknown but determined, Smith fought the odds.
Following Smith throughout his campaign, Frank Popper?s documentary is an impassioned reason to root for the little guy - a cross between "Rudy" and "The War Room." At first, the chances of a win seem ...
[ read more ]Friday, November 3, 2006
Frank Capra couldn't be farther gone. We live in a United States where elections are for sale and "American Idol" contestants garner more votes (albeit unlimited and phoned in) than presidential candidates. Our future belongs to a dazzle-me generation whose pathetic anthem is John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change."If that about sums up your jaded view of modern American politics, then say hello to Jeff Smith, a stubbornly enthusiastic Midwesterner who might restore your faith in democracy for 82 minutes of movie watching, whether or not he wins you over permanently ...
[ read more ]Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Once you get over its unwieldy title, "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?" establishes itself as warm, funny, informative, breathlessly paced and inspiring.In fact, Frank Popper's St. Louis-shot documentary (opening today at the Screenland) may be the best film about American politics since 1993's "The War Room."It's the story of the underdog congressional campaign of ...
[ read more ]Friday, September 29, 2006
Harking back to Frank Capra's captivating, American-pie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" with Oscar nominee Jimmy Stewart, the "Mr. Smith" documentary pokes its nose deep into Jeff Smith's door-to-door campaign.
Like Stewart in the feature drama, the boyish Smith is fresh-faced, strong-willed and completely unaware of ...
[ read more ]Thursday, September 21, 2006
Nearly everyone is in agreement that Jeff Smith is a losing game. Potential voters hang up on him. Even his own family is skeptical and not afraid to tell Smith that he has a snowball's chance in hell of winning retiring Missouri Democrat Richard Gephardt's seat in Congress.
"He looks like he's 12 and sounds like he's castrated," admits his own campaign communications manager, Artie Harris.
The consensus? That the ineloquent, charisma-impaired Russ Carnahan -- who nevertheless comes from a Missouri political family with major name recognition -- is a shoo-in for Gephardt's seat. Case closed.
In the homespun American values-affirming 1939 Frank Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, an aw-shucks Everyman played by Jimmy Stewart manages to make his way to Congress with integrity and honesty intact.
The absolutely engaging, edge-of-your-seat political documentary Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? wonders whether things like integrity and underdog chutzpah aren't automatic liabilities ...
[ read more ]Thursday, September 21, 2006
The documentary "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington?" is a beautiful, inspiring, involving exploration of American democracy.
The hero is a young outsider, a teacher who has a special affinity for those who are poor or prejudiced against. He is running against someone who has a famous name because, among other things, a close relative died while in elective office. If that echoes the current Roth-Bono race for Congress in our community, so be it.
Jeff Smith, who had no elective experience, decides to run to replace St. Louis Representative Dick Gephardt, who retired. Smith goes door to door and ...
[ read more ]Thursday, August 24, 2006
This very enjoyable debut feature from former St. Louis lab technician/high school English teacher Frank Popper is only the second documentary in my memory to rally its film festival premiere spectators to such singularly transcendent exhortations that both pictures catapulted into well-deserved audience awards. In September 2002 it was Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, before a crowd nearly devoid of Americans. In mid-June 2006, it happened again with Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? at Silverdocs, the 4-year-old Silver Spring, Maryland, documentary film festival supported by The American Film Institute and Discovery Communications.
While Columbine went on to become the most successful documentary feature of its time, Mr. Smith is taking a slower path to success, but pleasing hold-over hometown crowds that agree this is one of the more pleasantly entertaining films of the year and also one of the most humanly funny examinations of the democratic election process. Borrowing more than its title from the Frank Capra social comedy, this underdog tale is a rough gem that hopefully will find viewers as it spreads out into limited engagements across the country (to find out if the film will be playing near you, check www.mrsmithmovie.com).
Popper follows the longshot campaign of Jeff Smith, a 29-year-old teacher and political neophyte who decides to take on 9 opponents and a much too complacent voter base in the 2004 Democratic primary for the United States Congressional seat being vacated by House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt. In his ten-month challenge, the sublimely-energetic, squeaky-voiced Smith rises above his own family's ridicule, including his 96-year-old grandmother Idah Ruben who warns her friends to save their money if her grandson is actually running for Congress, "A person with the mind that he has shouldn't waste it on politics." Jeff's mother thinks sonny boy is off the wall and just wants him to get a Ph. D. Yet despite and because of the initial barrage of ridicule, the kid with a ton of spunk pushes on and invigorates household after household, neighborhood after neighborhood, and an army of 500 novice mostly college-age volunteers and non-experienced campaign workers in this attempt to pull one of the biggest electoral upsets in modern history. Watching Popper follow this extremely well-spoken candidate beg, borrow, and pray for votes, even with his incredibly low initial name recognition--there is another Smith in the race as well as front runner Russ Carnahan, a State Representative and member of the Missouri dynasty of governors, senators, etc.--is just as exciting as watching a solid Hollywood David vs. Goliath drama.
Popper's camera captures the angst of the grassroots crusade in its massive slog for integrity on the campaign trail. Smith, a avid basketball player (and, according to his dad, an NBA wannabe) doesn't drop the political ball, and Popper focuses on the contender's honesty and tenacity, showcasing the aspiring politico's fierce determination, fast wit, progressive leanings, and flair for the comic punchline. Every cut-away to his bland opponent Carnahan makes the leader appear as massively inarticulate and somewhat uninformed, figuring that all he needs to earn the seat is mention his family's track record and some negative advertising.
This often funny-in-despair backroom political primer sports a peppy score, ranging from urgent drumline beatings to bluesy piano cues that highlight the digitally-shot a visual look that blends close-ups and medium shots to very good effect. Yes, it's with particular pleasure to root for this underdog; you can actually hear the screams from everyone on the audience as the tallies are gathered on Election Day. Popper has managed to let lightning out of this bottle and everyone should try to catch some of the electricity floating about the air in St. Louis (and beyond).
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
I walked into the Tivoli with high expectations, and I wasn't disappointed. Those of you in St. Louis know Jeff Smith from his campaign for Congress in 2004 against Russ Carnahan and some other people (1). More recently, Jeff won a five-way Democratic primary for state Senate (2). In "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?", director Frank Popper seeks to portray Smith as the idealistic underdog, and the Birkenstock fits perfectly. Throughout the film, and through the use of both home movies and modern-day footage, we see Smith taking on battles he could never be expected to win: competing for ward endorsements against Carnahan, dialing for dollars against Russ' mom, and playing basketball against black guys (3).
[ read more ]Monday, July 31, 2006
Yes, kids, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? is a documentary about Missouri politics - sounds like homework, right? Well, it's actually a very entertaining, fast-moving, and intelligent little film, and it's a shame it's currently in limited distribution. Directed by first-time documentarian Frank Popper, the film won the audience award at the Silverdocs Festival. Popper embedded himself in the campaign of Jeff Smith, an unknown who challenged Russ Carnahan in the 2004 Democratic primary for the US House of Representatives seat vacated by everybody's favorite eyebrowless failed presidential candidate, Dick Gephardt.
[ read more ]Friday, July 28, 2006
Can Mr. Smith Get To Washington Anymore? offers so much for the moviegoer: interesting characters, great story, humor, and emotion. The creative team behind this documentary have managed to highlight the workings of a congressional campaign without focusing on the political issues. This documentary is about people.
[ read more ]Friday, July 28, 2006
All politics is local. So said Tip O'Neill, the late speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. When he and his colleague Dick Gephardt were aspiring politicians, the path to Washington started with hometown handshakes. When an unknown, Jeff Smith, bid to succeed the retiring Gephardt in 2004, it tested the limits of grass-roots campaigning in an era of big-money consultants and political dynasties. His improbable campaign is the subject of "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?," a locally made documentary with universal appeal.
[ read more ]Wednesday, June 21, 2006
I originally wrote a short review of Frank Popper's exciting new documentary, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? (official site), a few days ago immediately after seeing it at Silverdocs, but the review has been generating so much traffic--thank you, Arch City Chronicle--that I thought I'd expand my original review into something longer. Mr. Smith also won the Audience Award at Silverdocs, and after thinking about it the last few days, I think the film can offer a significant contribution to our ongoing conversations about politics and civic ...
[ read more ]Wednesday, June 21, 2006
BRIGHT LIGHTS BECKON: In a big win for St. Louis' first-time documentary feature filmmaker Frank Popper, his film, "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington?" won the Audience Award for Best Feature on Sunday at the Silverdocs AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival.
[ read more ]Tuesday, June 20, 2006
I was invited to a screening last Friday of the documentary film "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?" which was showing at the AFI/Discovery Channel Silverdocs Film Festival in Silver Spring, Maryland. The invitation came courtesy of fellow DUer GumboYaYa, who was instrumental helping get the film made, and even had a few cameo appearances in ...
[ read more ]Saturday, June 17, 2006
It looks like I'm going to take most of Saturday off from Silverdocs. A colleague is hosting a cookout this afternoon, so while I'm planning to catch a couple of films tonight, the extra time will give me a few minutes to catch my breath and blog about the films and panels I caught yesterday. I never would have guessed that going to three films in one day could be so exhausting. After a late start on Friday, I met up with Sarah Jo Marks of Documentary Insider and we were able to catch the end of John Pierson's "Doc Talk" panel, during which Pierson discussed his experiences in helping Michael Moore and Errol Morris find wider audiences for Roger and Me and The Thin Blue Line. But Pierson was even more compelling when ...
[ read more ]