This is Frank Capra's half hearted attempt to excoriate fascism following his half ass embrace of it in "Mr. Deeds". The other big difference in the two films is that "Deeds" is funnier. Robert Riskin, who wrote both, allowed his preachiness to overcome his wit somewhere in the middle of this very long movie. The result is that the second half becomes a series of protracted speeches to which only one, James Gleason's drunken ode to democracy, is worth listening. And as usual one wearies of Gary Cooper's "aw shucks-ism" way before one tires of Riskin's soap box dialogue (which is really a monologue). Saving the picture are the supporting performances of Gleason, Irving Bacon as the ultimate yes man, Walter Brennan's eternal cynic, whose "heelots" diatribe is the film's other decent soliloquy, and Edward Arnold, one of the great dead voiced villains of 1930s/40s Hollywood. Give it a B minus.
Review of Meet John Doe
