We'll Be Watching This One In 50 years

Rating: Null/10 (4 February 2004)

Here in the UK, we have always had a lot of time for one of the all time classic American family movies, "It's A Wonderful Life".
I may be entertained by the ultra-violence and snappy, profane dialogue of Tarantino, Kubrick, and Scorsese. But every time you ring a bell, an angel gets it's wings. And I blub like a tiny child...
Well, Mr Capra now has a contender in the timeless feel good movie stakes. And his name is Burton.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW - READ ON WITH CAUTION:
Let's make something clear from the start. This film is not overly sentimental. Consider how long Spielberg was attached to this project, and think what he'd have done differently. He'd have had you cry on cue, for one thing, as John Williams strings soared. Burton didn't.
There's a sly line of dialogue, delivered by the family doctor when old Edwards's condition has worsened. I'm not quoting verbatim here, but it's along the lines of "I hate when people talk to people who can't hear them."
This is the classic "character on a deathbed" style, with the younger, supporting actor saying all the things he meant to say. It's a cliche, it's manipulative, and it's avoided here. The scene which replaces it is just awesome, turning Billy Crudup into a teller of the sort of tall tales he thought he despised.
Burton being Burton, however, it's not all down to John August's script. There are some astonishingly funny scenes here too. It takes just three seconds, a jock, a toilet and a copy of Playboy to deliver perhaps the best sight gag of the year. In a PG-rated movie!
Onto the basics. The cast are all great, but I must mention the radiant Marion Cotillard as Josephine, Will's wife. I've only ever seen her handle the fast talking, snappy French comedy dialogue of the "Taxi" films. But here she gives a beautifully understated performance, proving she can do drama just as well.
I'm surprised that Americans are quite so pleased with Ewan McGregor's accent - which to my ear slipped back to his native Crieff on a number of occasions. Still - with his winning smile and boyish looks - he's cast perfectly here.
Albert Finney, though, is the best casting you can imagine. And Spielberg wanted Nicholson! Finney is charming without being slimy, not something Jack can manage.
The photography is as great as you've heard - all the more so because it's so subtle. A lot of that is probably down to the quality of the light in Alabama (this film was mostly shot on location), which gives a magical realism that fits the story perfectly.
In summary, a moving movie that I hope will survive the test of time.