One minute you're laughing at its sendup of the political process, and the next you're stricken by the sorry state of the sweet and brainy protagonist's family.
– Claudia Puig,
USA Today,
1 Aug 2008
rotten:
It is neither appreciably better nor dramatically worse than its hokey, please-describe-me-as-'Capraesque' premise.
– Christopher Orr,
The New Republic,
2 Aug 2008
rotten:
Not a bad movie, probably OK to rent on DVD, but I'm saying don't rush to the theaters.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
4 Aug 2008
rotten:
He shoots simultaneously for 'wake up, America!' inspiration and good ol' boy charm but ends up putting both barrels through his own cowboy-booted foot.
– Wally Hammond,
Time Out,
26 Sep 2008
rotten:
It's a sentiment Capra might well have echoed, though he would surely have punched up the gags while he was at it.