It Certainly Is!!!

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2011)

Frank Capra's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, loved by critics and viewers alike. Well, most. So much has been said that praises this heart-warming tale of George Bailey that I won't bother going over the same stuff. What I will talk about instead is the other side of the film. While most see it as a holiday movie, at the core is a dark and powerful story. George has spent all of his life wanting to go out into the world, go to college, do amazing stuff, travel the globe, and whatnot. However, every chance he gets, he's faced with a moral dilemma: Do the right thing, or go his own way. Inevitably, George winds up doing the right thing, which almost always conflicts with what he really wants to do. As the years roll by, we see his life develop in unexpected ways. At the heart, George is a terrific guy who has chosen to put others before himself. He's made a ton of sacrifices, but in ways he's taken his life for granted. And on one fateful Christmas day, a "monetary" bomb is dropped into the midst of his life that totally throws him off. Distressed and hurting, George feels there is no way out but to end his life. And that's where the Almighty steps in and sends down help in the form of a kindly, rotund angel named Clarence. Ultimately, what Clarence grants to George is the opportunity to see what life would've been like without him. And this is the where the movie takes its darkest turn. We see that every person's life, even the town of Bedford Falls itself, has been corrupted by the absence of George. And after George asks to live again, we begin to understand that despite whatever trouble is coming for him, it's better to face it alive. Some have complained that the bad guy, Mr. Potter, doesn't get his comeuppance in the end. But I say, Mr. Potter will one day get his own tale, in the form of "A Christmas Carol." Until then, George learns what life really means: No matter the turmoils, no matter whether you're rich or poor, life is the richest reward you can be given. And that is what makes IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE such a classic, because anybody who lives long enough must face the reality of both the good and the bad in their own lives. When they sing Auld Lang Syne at the end, it does mark a new year. It's the new year for George Bailey, and anyone else who's faced similar dilemmas in life. Plus, if ever there was a mainstream (secular) movie to convince us that there is a God and angels that watch over us, this is the movie to do it. So, keep ringing those bells every Christmas!