Friday, March 5, 2010

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Tell me, why must Mr. Smith keep making repeat trips? Did he not get the memo?

Art imitating life? Life imitating art?

Nope... it’s just life.

I recently watched this classic with my 14-year-old son, who states he might want to travel that political road, which has been known to take the Mr. Smiths of the world on a bumpy ride through rough terrain.

At first, I wondered if he’d “get” the film, but as he watched with genuine interest - admittedly more than I’d seen him do with Transformer 2 - I began to wonder. Had the Mr. Smiths of the world been exposed in their youth to the duality of man’s nature? Had they seen what really stood behind the curtain once it was pulled back by that innocent little pup? Or, were all those messages packaged in tales of mischief and discoveries; journeys and adventures; laughter and tears lost on the innocence of mere babes? Was it, and is it, to this day, just pure entertainment?

Can it be, my dear Mr. Frost, that all the roads are now a packed parking lot of passive travelers?

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