OPINION:
On the Saturday after the Nov. 3 elections, my wife and I took a break from politics and went to a film that showed what America was made of when the Greatest Generation ran things.
“Jimmy,” a full-length biopic about actor James Stewart’s service in World War II, is a powerful piece of filmmaking. It portrays Stewart’s little-known heroism and the gravity of war. It also shows Americans united in purpose with Britain against a relentless enemy and determined to win at all costs.
An independent feature directed by Aaron Burns and distributed by Fathom Entertainment, the PG-13 movie opened on Nov. 6 with just over $2 million at the domestic box office on opening weekend and $3.1 million by Wednesday.
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Actor K.J. Apa nails the lead role. From his first scene, he has you believing he is really Jimmy Stewart.
Jason Alexander (George Costanza from “Seinfeld”) plays a convincing Louis B. Mayer; veteran actor Neal McDonough gives a flint-and-steel performance as Jimmy’s father, Alexander Stewart. Max Casella plays Frank Capra, Kara Killmer plays Lady Julia, and Jen Lilley plays Gloria Stewart, Jimmy’s wife in their 44-year marriage.
The film showcases Stewart’s 20 combat missions flown from Britain, which earned him two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. This was after he won an Oscar for best actor for “The Philadelphia Story” (1940) and before Frank Capra cast him in “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), his most iconic role.
Inducted as a private in the U.S. Army Air Corps in March 1941, nine months before Pearl Harbor, Stewart gave up a star’s salary — reportedly $12,000 a week — for $21 a month.
After the war, he served in the Air Force Reserve, was promoted to brigadier general in 1959 and retired in 1968. In 1966, he rode as an observer on a B-52 bombing mission over Vietnam. President Reagan advanced him to major general on the retired list and, in 1985, awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Many other Hollywood figures also served in combat, including film stars Clark Gable, Henry Fonda, Tyrone Power, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Robert Montgomery, David Niven, Sterling Hayden and Eddie Albert.
Some who became stars after serving include Lee Marvin, Audie Murphy, Charlton Heston, James Arness, Alec Guinness and Christopher Lee. Directors John Ford, Mel Brooks and William Wyler also saw combat.
A major portion of “Jimmy” centers on the toll that the war took, leaving Stewart with post-traumatic stress disorder. The film links his wartime trauma with the haunted character he plays in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and how Capra elicited an unforgettable scene.
I will not ruin the scenario, or a couple of others that depict wartime sacrifice, but suffice it to say they are not going to hurt Kleenex sales.
The film is not perfect, and I wish it had shown more of Stewart’s Hollywood successes before and after the war. Still, it is no ordinary entertainment vehicle. I hope that lots of young people who have been miseducated about America see it. It will help them realize what it takes to defend freedom.
It also reflects an America that still exists under a pervasive popular culture steeped in sensate-centered content for micro-short attention spans.
Not surprisingly, the critics’ score of “Jimmy” on Rotten Tomatoes is only 61%. Meanwhile, the “Popcornmeter,” which reflects the opinions of everyday filmgoers, is 95%.
This is often the case with movies that reflect traditional values. “Reagan,” the 2024 biopic starring Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan, was well-done and entertaining. Critics scored it at 17%, while the Popcornmeter gave it 98%. It made more than $30 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Similarly, the 2021 movie “American Underdog,” starring Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner, the Super Bowl-winning Rams quarterback and outspoken Christian, got 75% from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes but scored 98% on the Popcornmeter. It made a respectable $26.5 million at the box office.
In 2018, “I Can Only Imagine,” a movie about the Christian rock group MercyMe’s hit song by that name, got a 69% critics’ rating but scored 91% on the Popcornmeter. It made $83 million at the box office.
For years, Christian Film and Television Commission President Ted Baehr has been crunching numbers in Movieguide to show Hollywood how PG-13, PG and G-rated films make far more money than the R-rated films that Tinseltown cranks out almost daily.
According to The Numbers movie site, G, PG and PG-13 films earned nearly three times as much as R-rated films did from 1995 through 2024, even though more R-rated films were released than all three other ratings combined.
Superhero movies, mostly rated PG-13, make the most money, especially those in the Marvel Universe (Disney). R-rated horror movies make a lot of money too. “Resident Evil,” which opened in September, has made more than $400 million worldwide.
Still, you do not need to go to the theater for horror fare. Just wait until January, when Democrats push their agenda in Texas and Congress. For example, on Nov. 9, Texas Democrats prefiled more than 20 gun control bills for the 2027 legislative session.
Congressional Democrats backed an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie on Tuesday, and they promise to pursue it further when they control the House.
Instead of fretting about what is coming, you might want to take in “Jimmy,” which reminds us that America has strong bones, a unique heritage and real heroes.
• Robert Knight is a columnist for The Washington Times. His website is roberthknight.com.
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