THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Sometimes we watch movies to make us feel better and temporarily forget about the problems we deal with. There is one movie however that after all these years is still able motivate people to never give up no matter how hard things get in life. That movie is called It's A Wonderful Life.
PLOT
Based on the short story, ‘The Greatest Gift’, by Philip Van Doren Stern, the movie focuses on the life of George Bailey whose presence had such a massive yet positive impact on those around him. As a child, he saved his brother Harry from drowning. Around that age, he also stopped the town druggist Mr. Gower (HB Warner) from accidentally poisoning a child's prescription. As an adult, he would run his father's business of banking, ‘Building and Loan’, after the latter had a stroke. Throughout his career, he would butt heads with Henry F. Potter, who owns most of the town's businesses. After marrying the love of his life, Mary Hatch, he uses his honeymoon savings to keep his business afloat. He also develops his own housing development to rival Potter’s. During the era of WWII, Harry (Todd Karns) is coming home, welcomed as a hero due to saving many soldiers on a transport ship. George’s Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell) attempts to deposit $8000 to Building and Loan but misplaces the money. This enrages George not only because of this mistake but also because the company is suffering a scandal that might lead to criminal charges. He takes out what’s left of his anger on Mary and their children. He then goes to Potter begging for a loan but he calls the police instead, attempting to have him arrested for misappropriation of funds. He than leaves to drink his sorrows away at a bar. He contemplates on committing suicide when looking over a bridge but ends up saving another’s life. The other man is named Clarence and claims that he was trying to save him. He also claims to be a guardian angel, but George doesn’t believe him. Just as he wishes he wasn’t born, Clarence shows him a timeline on what would happen if it was so: Harry would’ve drowned, Billy would be institutionalized after Building and Loan fails, Mary would never marry and Mr. Gower would’ve been imprisoned for manslaughter. Accepting the truth, he begs for his life to return. His reality is restored upon request and the now grateful man comes home, awaiting his request. When getting home, Mary and Billy arrive with townspeople who donate more than $8000 to pay off the deposit. The officers would than tear off arrest warrant. Harry than comes home, roasting his brother as ‘the richest man in town’. George finds a copy of the book ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, a gift by Clarence. As everyone at his home sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ on Christmas Eve, a bell on the Christmas tree rings, implying that his guardian angel got his wings.
THOUGHTS
If there is one thing I regret as a cinephile is waiting so long to see this movie. Having said that, God I love this movie so much as I got tears of joy when it was over. Director Frank Capra was able to share a story that remains to be relevant to this day. I have a hard time believing this is a Christmas movie because it takes more than an hour for the setting to take place in the said holiday. But I think the reason for it to be part of the said genre because of the fact on how relatable it is to hit rock bottom on the most wonderful time of the year. What is presented are the values of basic goodness and sacrifice, the gift of friendship, and the sense of community & belonging that helps people like us feel truly connected to society. Because of these themes of being accurately presented, you’ll feel reminded to appreciate the good that surrounds you and not to let the bad get to you. Even though this film is timeless, I admit there are some flaws in this story. First off, how does an angel not get their wings after 200 years of trying? I know it sounds hilarious that it took Clarence this long but I have a hard time believing he had many failures helping others. I know we love George from the beginning for saving Harry from drowning but it’s even harder to believe that the ice didn’t collapse on the other kids that were close to the cracked area. It is pretty funny that George and Mary continue to dance as the pool opens up from the gym floor, but how do they not feel it opening? I’m certain that even when dancing, I’d feel a floor moving. Also, where did the civilians come from when George gets turned down by Violet (Gloria Grahame)? That scene was weird for me. I know Billy lost the money but it’s technically still George’s fault because he knows how forgetful his uncle is. And lastly, I know he accepts he entered the alternate reality by the time he sees Martha on her own, but I think it makes better sense when not finding his car next to the tree that crashed. Even though he’d likely still the rest of the results, it’d be better if his realization was from that moment. If he had done it himself, he’d be in less of a pickle. By the time you ignore all of this, you’ll still be loving this movie for bringing up your spirit. Like many Christmas movies, you can’t go wrong with a great cast to keep you invested. The star of this movie is clearly Jimmy Stewart. Like many of his roles, he takes command by taking all of the sentimentality and turn it into sincerity. Here, you just love him as George Bailey because when he smiles, it makes you want to smile too. That becomes the case because if this guy overcame the odds, it gives you that feeling to do the same. Also, it sounds pretty hard to not fall for someone who’s willing to lasso a moon for you. Henry Travers is the funniest thing about this movie because of how literal he makes Clarence. You also love him for being the one to help George see the picture that he is important than he imagined because I don’t think he would’ve to anyone else in the mood he was in. Lionel Barrymore succeeds in making Mr. Potter about as despicable as The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. I mean you just hate him for being so greedy. I find this performance impressive because even at this era of filmmaking, he made bad look good, which is why the character deserves more credit in the argument of popular villains. Last but not least, the beautiful Donna Reed takes command of her own with Mary Hatch. Seeing her be a loving, gentle and kind person made her so compelling to the story. She’s arguably the unsung hero as she offered the honeymoon savings to Building and Loan. If she didn’t show up and do it, I don’t think George would ever think about it. She even fixed up the dream house and got the town together to save the day, so I would find it hard to believe someone wouldn’t like this character. In short, It’s A Wonderful Life earns its place as one of the best movies of all time for being the most uplifting of its kind. So if you love Christmas movies and wanna go old school or you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom like George Bailey, this is the way to go.
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