Well, I've just found my new favorite Christmas film and a new addition to my personal top ten. This is my mother's favorite Christmas film, but it is my first time seeing it all the way through. It's a Wonderful Life is an incredibly sweet and touching holiday film with plenty of fantastic humor and amazing performances. I knew the premise of this film beforehand and have obviously seen its pop culture impact, but I was personally not expecting it to touch me this much. Frank Capra has delivered a wonderful film that absolutely stands the test of time.
The greatest aspect of this film is its incredibly moving story that thoroughly impressed me. This movie follows a struggling businessman named George (Jimmy Stewart) who craves adventure; whether it be through travel or spontaneous choices, he would rather die than be cooped up in his small hometown for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, that is what his life turns out to be as he settles down in the same town, marries a beautiful woman named Mary (Donna Reed), has four cute children, and remains working for the same family bank that his family had run for generations. After a stressful loss of a great amount of money, George practically goes off the deep end and attempts to kill himself. However, his guardian angel who has been watching him since birth saves him beforehand and shows him what his life would be like if he had never been born. It was so interesting to watch as George went through his town when he had never existed and see how everyone's lives were so much different. This was the darkest yet most engaging part of this writing, but I wish the character of George would have spent more time in this alternate universe. I did, however, really enjoy the framed narrative of the universe talking to the angels and narrating George's life. It is incredible that this effect was able to be achieved in the early days of Hollywood without the use of gross special effects. This was a very clever way of setting up the supernatural element of this movie and it only furthered my appreciation for this early filmmaking.
Stewart and Reed's performances, the humor, and the message behind this film are extraordinary as well. George and Mary's relationship was one of the biggest things I was rooting for throughout this film and I am glad the message that was revealed in the conclusion led to a happy ending. Once George learned to base his value on his friends and family rather than his financial success, it led to one of the sweetest and most touching scenes ever. The final scene of all of the townspeople donating money to save George's business and George realizing the positive impact he has had on everyone honestly made me tear up. That whole scene was built up to very well through the many things that George had learned throughout the film. Stewart truly captures every film that he is in and he embodied this character so well. His portrayal of emotions through his dialogue is unmatched and paired with Reed's portrayal of his wife Mary, leads to one of the greatest onscreen romances. Reed is an amazing actress and carries this film just as much as Stewart. The humor in this writing was astounding too; as many films from this time utilize misogyny and homophobia as a means of comedy, but It's a Wonderful Life actually creates genuine laughs from its many different forms of humor.
It's a Wonderful Life is arguably the greatest Christmas film of all time, despite the majority of the movie taking place at different times of the year. Even though I personally wish more time would have been spent in the alternate life, this film has proven itself as a multigenerational, holiday classic.
My Rating: ★★★★★
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