Grant Matthews is considered a beacon of hope for a new political movement and, as a presidential candidate, is expected to bring a breath of fresh air into American politics. But it soon becomes apparent that powerful interests are pulling the strings behind the scenes. While Matthews vacillates between political calculation and personal integrity, his wife Mary fights to preserve his ideals. Frank Capra directs a sharply observed drama that exposes political mechanisms and at the same time paints an intimate portrait of a marriage under public pressure. »The Best Man« is a trenchant and at the same time surprisingly personal political film by Frank Capra, which elegantly negotiates his ideals of democracy and moral integrity. Spencer Tracy is convincing as industrialist Grant Matthews, who gets into the presidential election campaign against his will and is increasingly crushed between political calculation and personal conviction. Tracy plays this inner turmoil with great calmness, authority and human warmth. A special charm of the film lies in the interplay between Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, whose sharp-tongued, independent wife gives the film emotional depth and intellectual wit. The dialogues are precise, intelligent and often surprisingly modern. Capra combines political satire with romantic drama and shows how private relationships and public morality are inextricably intertwined.