Last week I saw Frank Popper’s new doc Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?, the Audience Award winner at this year’s Silverdocs. I had drafted a message about it, but decided to mull over the experience a bit before posting and I got to thinking more about it in light of Independence Day. In addition to being a witty film that follows an underdog’s journey, which is compelling for those of us who dream big, the film also left me with sadness.

Jeff Smith, a smart, charming, young guy with an infectious smile, decides to run for Congress in Missouri. His friends and family think he’s crazy for imagining that he has a chance, but with the help of a few inexperienced yet smart and visionary helpers, Smith turns the Congressional race upside down. Chuck Tyron saw the film at Silverdocs and wrote a nice review of it so I won’t repeat the details, except to second that I found the filmmaking craft to be fantastic and the story compelling.

Independence Day is always a bit sad for me. While I appreciate being a part of this country, I am also tempered from celebrating knowing that the founding of this country meant decimating Nations that already existed here, and the new Nation has never lived up to the ideal envisioned by the forefathers. Modern Americans celebrate July 4th as yet another opportunity to bask in our own marvelousness; we have on rose-colored glasses where the glass is that dream that colors our perception of reality daily. The original Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was a lot like that – where corruption and legacy existed, idealism overcomes reality, which is why we love that film.

I don’t want to give away the film, but suffice it to say that had Smith gone to Washington, you probably would have heard his story on the Today show. Mr. Smith’s story is in his journey. Originally, I posted about this film as I pondered the political fate of Al Gore, another underdog of sorts. I’m sad because smart people who are sensative to real problems facing the US and the world are continually being beat out by buffoons skilled at the art of the con. Rather than engaging as citizens, those of us who vote are basing our vote on popularity, and many more whose voices really should be heard fail to turn out at the polls or are disenfranchised in one way or another. Wouldn’t elections where all eligible voters turned out be totally illuminating?

Jeff Smith is a Democrat but even if he weren’t, I’d vote for him in a split second. If anyone has some extra cash and wants to invest in a great candidate for Missouri state legislature, go to his website.

It’s often easy to walk out of a film and leave the story behind, but Popper’s film left me hoping for a better tomorrow and higher expectations for elected officials and trying to think of ways to help. Without getting polemical here, I guess my minimum hope is that more people vote! Get voter registration information from Rock The Vote Action Center>>

And, go see the film at upcoming screenings in DC and St. Louis. More info>>