Smitty is a 2012 American family drama film directed by David Mickey Evans and starring Mira Sorvino, Peter Fonda and Louis Gossett Jr.[1][2][3][4] Amanda leaves her son Ben with her estranged father Jack, a grumpy Iowa farmer, after he gets in trouble too many times in Chicago.
Jack successfully straightens the boy out with good food, farm chores, and a dog; the dog's former owners could not afford to keep him, and Ben names him after Mr. Smith, a wise storekeeper who befriends him.
[5] The film premiered at the WorldFest-Houston International Film/Video Festival in April 2012.
[6] Tracey Moore of Common Sense Media awarded the film three stars out of five.
[7] Nancy Adamson of the Midland Reporter-Telegram graded the film a C.[8] Duane Byrge of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review and wrote, “...but there is a great big Middle American audience out there for this heartfelt entertainment.“[9]