Capraesque

American  

[kap-ruh-esk] / ˌkæp rəˈɛsk /

adjective

1. relating to or in the style of the movies of Frank Capra, focusing on courage and its positive effects and the triumph of the underdog.

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Example Sentences

It is one of the ironies of Hollywood history — one of the sadder ironies, in fact — that Capraesque has become a highly desirable word to describe a new film.

From Los Angeles Times

The arch sentimentality can get Capraesque, as when Hagerty tells a hostile Senate committee that he’s decided not to testify, and instead carries the day by showing a bereaved family a spacewalk video.

From New York Times

This period Capraesque comedy about an ordinary guy – a rather uncharismatic Tim Robbins – who is elevated to corporate greatness as part of a share-price scam is an example of how the Coens’ comedy can sometimes lack focus: too quirky and spongy.

From The Guardian

The first-rate theater minds assembled for “Dave,” under the stewardship of director Tina Landau — a Tony nominee for her inspired staging of “SpongeBob SquarePants, The Broadway Musical” — surely can hone this material and play even more smartly with its Capraesque formula, adapted from a 1993 movie comedy that starred Kevin Kline.

From Washington Post

It’s a movie that draws on a spirit of Capraesque romantic decency, combined with the toughness and resolution on display in Alan J Pakula’s All the President’s Men: a world of chain-smoking, shirtsleeved newsmen who were given weeks and months to work on an important story.

From The Guardian