It’s A Wonderful Life Movie Review (1946)
A beautiful and heartfelt classic, It’s A Wonderful Life is a lovely reminder that goodness and kindness are the real riches in life.
I have never watched It’s A Wonderful Life. I know, I know, but I grew up on the likes of Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Story, and now I turn to holiday films like Elf and Love Actually (is this a holiday film? I don’t care, I love it either way), so this one has just never happened. But on my quest to watch every movie, December seemed like the right time to check it out.
It’s A Wonderful Life is about a young man named George Bailey who loves broadly and takes care of those around him. He saves his younger brother after he falls through some ice, which leaves George deaf in one ear, but that doesn’t stop him from making other sacrifices to help everyone else. Local girl, Mary, has been in love with him since they were children, and stays around town, hoping to be noticed by George.
This is a delightfully sweet film. It has a few dated flaws (I can’t stand when men in older movies shake, slap, or lash out at women. Period. I also can’t stand when her reaction is to understand that he has had a bad day and to try to soothe him. I’m glad that this is no longer normalized.), but the message is tender and heartwarming.
George is not a perfect man. He has a bit of an anger problem and trips over his words sometimes, but he always means well. He struggles with wanting to break out of his little town and explore the world – a dream he’s had since he was a child. But the family bank has had issues in town, and instead of going off himself, his brother leaves town to get an education. Seeing how happy his brother is, George chooses to stay in town and let his brother live the larger life.
Men and women in the area struggle financially, and George would give up his last cent to make sure that their lives are secure. Mary sees who he is, but she’s no pushover. She is a woman who wants to love and balance him – to help make his world a better place.
There is nothing that will get me crying like kindness and happiness. It can be a commercial, a television show, or a movie, but when I see real goodness and generosity on screen, the waterworks start for me. And this movie made me cry. The end of the film (which I’ve seen snippets of over the years, but had no context) had me mopping my cheeks.
Interestingly, there is an abridged version of It’s A Wonderful Life available (106 minutes vs the original 130 minutes), but it leaves out most of the ending. Ask me how I found out… I didn’t realize right away, but I quickly scooted over to the correct one when I noticed that something felt off.
The pleasure of this film is that despite his flaws and hot temper, George is a good man. He’s filled with empathy and it’s led him to sacrifice the life he dreamed of for everyone else. Plus, I love Clarence’s bushy eyebrows. They made me want to squish his face and kiss his cheek.
Runtime: 130 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Yes, I cried
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Available: Free for Amazon Prime members or on Plex, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
