Overview
A small-town man inherits a fortune and finds himself navigating the chaos of city life, where love and deception await.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- warm
- romantic
- lazy sunday
- classic movie night
What critics said
Critics and audiences broadly regard Frank Capra's film as highly likable, praising its moral warmth, comic performances, and sense of common life despite a sometimes thin structure.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Longfellow Deeds confronts lawyers, financiers, reporters, and social committees while retaining a plainspoken ethical outlook.
Reporter Babe Bennett poses as a distressed stranger to gain access to Deeds and write about him.
Deeds leaves Mandrake Falls for New York, where his small-town habits become targets for media and opportunists.
Deeds's identity is introduced through his poetry, small-town life, and playing tuba in the town band.
Films like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and why
It Happened One Night
shared screwball romance, fish out of water premise, witty dialogue, and populist optimism
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
shared frank capra sensibility, principled outsider protagonist, social conscience, and warm comedy-drama
The Awful Truth
shared romantic comedy, mistaken identity, newspaper milieu, and fast-talking urban humor
Meet John Doe
shared small-town innocence confronting big-city cynicism, media satire, and uplifting social themes
Movie Details
- Director
- Frank Capra
- Release Date
- 1936-04-09
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (417)
Cast
- Gary Cooper
- Jean Arthur
- George Bancroft
- Lionel Stander
- Douglass Dumbrille
- Raymond Walburn
- H.B. Warner
- Ruth Donnelly
- Walter Catlett
- John Wray
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mr. Deeds Goes to Town about?
- A guileless small-town heir battles New York opportunists and a deceptive reporter while trying to remain true to his generous nature.
- What is Mr. Deeds Goes to Town like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Mr. Deeds Goes to Town violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.
- What did critics think of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town?
- Critics and audiences broadly regard Frank Capra's film as highly likable, praising its moral warmth, comic performances, and sense of common life despite a sometimes thin structure.
- Which films are like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town?
- Films with a similar feel include It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Awful Truth, and Meet John Doe.
- How long is Mr. Deeds Goes to Town?
- Mr. Deeds Goes to Town runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mr. Deeds Goes to Town?
- In United States, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
