Meet John Doe

A Frank Capra classic, Meet John Doe is an inspiring (though a bit heavy handed) populist film. After a newspaper prints a fraudulent open letter from a concerned citizen calling himself “John Doe” promising to commit suicide on Christmas Eve to protest the state of society the newspaper hires a bum off the streets to be John Doe and he soon becomes the spokesperson for a movement. Gary Cooper and Barbra Stanwyck lead the cast and give solid performance. However the script gets a little preachy with several lengthy monologues about patriotism, the power and worth of the common man, and being a kinder society. And it’s a real stretch to believe that the platitudes that John Doe gives would inspire such a large movement as devoted and passionate as the one depicted. Yet even with its problems, Meet John Doe is an entertaining film with a positive message that’s still remarkably relevant, sadly.