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 • Dec. 9, 2022

In an interview Mr. Van Sant described “Promised Land” as a “simple learning film,” an earnest, Capraesque meditation on the conflicting dictates of stewardship, hardship economics and fraying community values.

From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2012

But this world being comfortingly Capraesque, the intrepid columnist Ann of the New American Times does not merely lay down her pen and start “working” for the Huffington Post.

From Chicago Tribune • Mar. 9, 2011

The grass-roots approach that Mr. Jenkins took with his Capraesque Christmas parable “Midnight Clear,” in 2006, has been adopted, and adapted, by Hollywood in its efforts to tap the religious market.

From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2010

If Mr. White's Confession occasionally feels like an old-time movie, at least it's the kind of decent Capraesque affair that used to fill the seats at the Majestic.

From Time Magazine Archive