12/10/10 - It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life (1946, 130 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/

This was probably the most popular movie I had never seen. It's basically shown a ton of times every single year for Christmas and yet I'd managed to never see it. Part of that is that I hate watching movies on television since they're usually butchered for time reasons, but I was determined to check it out this year.

The film follows the depressed George Bailey (James Stewart) as he contemplates suicide. He's done well in the community but his bank is being investigated for fraud and he sees no alternative. In steps his guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers) to show George an alternate reality in which he wasn't born. There, George sees how his absence would affect other citizens of Bedford Falls. Playing significant roles are: Mary Hatch (Donna Reed), George's wife; Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), the antagonist of the film; and Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell), George's coworker at the bank.

This film is picked each year for its Christmas message. I thought this would be hokey and silly and would preach just standard "good feelings" stuff. I was surprisingly wrong. Even though I didn't know the exact nature of how It's a Wonderful Life would give it's message, I had seen enough parodies to at least somewhat prepare for the alternate reality approach. However, it had always come off as silly in the parodies that I had watched so I was a little hesitant on why it was so heavily praised in this "true form." As it worked out, It's a Wonderful Life gives its message amazingly well. First though, I'll post two minor complaints I have. The first is that the introduction of Clarence is a little too goofy at the start. Introducing a guardian angel is pretty serious stuff and the movie somewhat laughs this off and I think this doesn't work as well as if it had been more serious here. My second complaint is also pretty minor. George Bailey seems to not realize for a long time that this is an alternate universe without him. This point has to be hammered home way too many times and it was somewhat frustrating. Obviously, experiencing an alternate reality where you don't even exist isn't something that anyone will probably ever experience but I didn't think the point needed to be repeated as many times until George finally got it.

But these two complaints are minor given the whole scheme of the movie. It's a Wonderful Life is about the importance of friends and family and all that which is why it's so appropriate for the Christmas season. For this, It's a Wonderful Life is simply one of the best movies. It hits you hard with this message but it works as well. James Stewart's acting is a big reason why. I'd heard time and time again that he's the "everyman" actor and he truly embraces this role again as George Bailey. One of my goals this year was to watch some iconic Stewart performances and see if this claims was true and I have yet to be unimpressed. George is so likable but he also does the right thing at any given time. This might make him too perfect or something but he still ends up being real because he constantly complains about how he has to keep sacrificing for the other members of his family. He has both inner and outer turmoil and it troubles him in a believable degree. So even though he seems to always be doing right and thinking of everyone else first, he's still bitter about the problems this behavior causes and this gives him that "real" quality that allows the audience to be able to cheer for him. As for Donna Reed, she also excels as his wife Mary Hatch. Her best feature is her stunning beauty but her acting is up there as well. She has haunting eyes which is great for her role. "Acting with your eyes" is something I look for and Reed does well at this, also giving her character that believability and relatable factor that allows us to root for her. The other two big actors of Travers and Barrymore also hold their own in the acting department and play off Stewart's Bailey quite well. There is good chemistry in pretty much any pairing on the screen.

It's a Wonderful Life really isn't a deep movie. It does one thing and it does it amazingly well. It's a story that has come to represent the true meaning of Christmas due to this and it really is a film that everyone should see. I'm upset at myself that I let it go so long before finally checking it out. As for other comments about the movie, there really aren't any. The cinematography is beautiful with the snowy Bedford Falls always being quite picturesque. The plot is gripping and has quality pacing. The dual nature as previous events are revisited in the alternate reality works well as we see how important George Bailey is. It's a Wonderful Life is a simple movie really but everything works. Sometimes simply getting all the little things right will work wonders.

Overall, I gave this film a 9/10. My complaints are pretty minor. The most important thing is that It's a Wonderful Life completely connects with its message. The message is a meaningful one and so when it works it adds even more to an already great film.