Parents' Guide to

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

By Ellen MacKay, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Snappy lines, stellar performances, Capra classic.

Movie NR 1936 115 minutes
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 8+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Denise A.
Denise A. Parent of 9, 12 and 15-year-old
January 24, 2021
age 10+

Great movie, restores faith in our system.

Mr Deeds is an innocent who becomes a millionaire, but never loses his sense of wonder and honesty, even as he (and we see this) is beset from all sides with offers to compromise, and become part of 'the system'. It's a wonderful innocent movie, and what he does with his money should inspire the Bezos and Gates of the world to step up!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
RunToday
RunToday Adult
March 18, 2020
age 5+

Great 84 year old movie!

My wonderful sister send me this movie recently and I watched it that night. How did this gem of a classic escape me previously? The performances by Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur and others was just amazing. In addition, my faith that there is a little hope for civility and generosity in human nature was boosted a bit. Ok, that's a stretch, but it's good to see a movie that's has some lessons to teach us. Just see it... You won't regret it! Oh, and Jean Arthur? She's super pretty!
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN centers on greeting card poet Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper), a nice guy from a small town who finds out he's the only heir to an immense fortune. When he comes to New York to live the high life, he finds he hates being rich. When he tries to give the money away to the poor, he finds himself on trial for insanity. In scathing exposés of his small-town behavior, the newspapers declare him a backwater dope. Meanwhile, Deeds falls for a woman named Mary (Jean Arthur) who turns out to be one of the offending journalists. This tale gets quite dark before its dawn, but in the end, the trial provides the means for reconciliation between Deeds and Mary. Poor Mr. Deeds has a heck of a time weathering the cynical and nasty folk who live in New York. When he's on trial, getting slandered by hypocrite after hypocrite, things get pretty depressing.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (11):

A snappy plot about a simple man made suddenly rich and a strong performance by Gary Cooper drive this wonderful classic. A strong moral foundation, recommending a big heart over a thick wallet, makes the movie ideal family fare, although younger viewers may get lost within the fast-paced story. Some kids might find the courthouse scenes upsetting. Others may find the notion that Deeds can give away his fortune in any equitable manner a bit hard to believe (especially during the Depression).

But the movie is typical Capra fare: It wears its morals and its sentiments on its sleeve. Everything else, including the soundness of Deeds's financial planning and the dreariness of his trial, is secondary to its ultimate championing of common decency. The movie is buoyed by the two fantastic performances of Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. He is the charming innocent, she the hard-as-nails city woman. Cooper has the ability to proselytize without sounding preachy, using the honest language of the common man. Arthur is sassy but sweet --a perfect foil.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about this movie's message. What do you think the film maker was trying to say with this movie? Is the message still relevant today?

Movie Details

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