Not only a bad film but a disturbing look into humanity's priorities and morals

Rating: 2/10 (13 July 2019)

It's not often I will go out of my way to bash a beloved movie such as this. With the growing number of people who can't stand to watch a movie unless it appeals to tropes we've seen time and time again, classic films deserve an extended and special effort to remain an example of what films should be. But with this, we are prone to subjecting ourselves to films that have not aged well or interpreting its criticisms as blasphemy or simply the taunting diatribe of a lonely and bored millennial that embodies the Dunning-Kruger effect. But to truly understand what makes a film good, and what a good message is one absolutely must look further than It's a Wonderful Life.
This is not meant as an attack on Frank Capra or Jimmy Stewart. Both of these legends elevate everything they're in and this is no exception. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington remains a prescient and brilliant film about politicians and the need for everybody to see them as civil servants and not their own bosses. But this review isn't about that. It's about what is quite possibly the most morally tone-deaf film I have ever seen. And the fault lies squarely on the shoulders of the writers. Writers that produced a screenplay so vile that I feel no hesitation in saying that It's a Wonderful Life is a downright sociopathic portrayal of humanity with little to no regard for viewers who actually do struggle with the concept of feeling hopeless and alone.
George Bailey is the guy everybody wants to be. Clearly spoiled, popular, good-looking, a social butterfly, rich, beautiful wife and children. His life cannot be more grand. That is until the possibility of prison time comes forward (and for those who haven't seen this movie, that happens at the beginning of the third act and is hardly the plot). It is this and this alone that drives Bailey to contemplate suicide. But the universe and seemingly heaven itself can't have that happen because he's just too perfect. This cements George Bailey as one of the most insultingly unrelatable characters ever to curse the screen. His trials and tribulations fail to carry any dramatic weight simply because it's clearly visible that the makers of this film have no true idea about what misery is and they seem to have a tenuous grasp on the very basic human concepts of humanity and loyalty. George Bailey attempting to kill himself and throw his completely innocent family into the fire is genuinely one of the most unnerving things I have ever seen in what is supposed to be an "uplifting" movie.
Aside from that. Aside from the one-dimensional villain that disappears from the movie with absolutely no closure (no kidding, he really does just disappear. It's like the writers just forgot about him). Aside from most of the dialog just involving what Bailey should do with his pile of money. Aside from none of the dialog carrying any weight. Aside from the vapid, vacant-eyed persona of Bailey's wife. Aside from the borderline creepy bush scene. Aside from the bloated length. Aside from just about everything else I can name wrong with this film, there's one thing that wrought me to my core. A final message so disturbing that I shudder to think about the mindset of these writers. I say with absolutely no hyperbole that it is hands-down one of the most horrifying messages to ever disgrace cinema. "Remember no man is a failure who has friends."
Disturbing, malicious, vile and ignorant. These are the words I use to describe this blatant middle-finger to those who actually do suffer. The people who are alone in the world. People who have lost and know nothing but loss. The homeless, the destitute, the mentally ill, the lost and abandoned and the actual failures. They are not only shipped to the sidelines, they are outright told to piss off back to whatever hole they crawled out of. They are called failures and the movie actively supports the idea of them killing themselves.
The final message of the movie is this: If you're like our unrealistically blessed friend, George Bailey, then enjoy life. If you aren't, kill yourself. Nobody will care anyway.
My hands are trembling as I finish this review. Not often does a film have such a profound impact on me. I've subjected myself to this picture three times and it gets worse with each subsequent viewing. It has disturbed me, rendered me outright misanthropic and has overall damaged my point of view on life. I hate this movie. I hate it with every single molecule of my being. I'm appalled that it has gone down in history as a masterpiece. It's not the worst movie ever made. Frank Capra was a talented filmmaker and Jimmy Stewart is somehow charming even when he is playing a creep. Vertigo is another indicator of his talent. But this is one of the most poorly written and spiteful stories ever conceived.
If you want a real uplifting story about finding light in the darkness, watch Scent of a Woman. Even better, watch both of these movies and analyze both of the characters and each of their trials. One of proactive, one is reactive. One has depth, the other is shallow. One has an arc that grows and sustains itself from the other characters, the other hits a low and his arc concerns him getting back to normal. They both deal with suicide, but one has a realistic and relatable outcome. One character you feel genuinely sorry for, the other character is someone you want to be.
I finish this review as a warning to people with depression: Do NOT watch this film. It will drag you through the mud and then spit on you once it's finished. How do I know? Because that's exactly what it's done to me.