Classic.

Rating: 8/10 (8 December 2019)

Review:
'It's a Wonderful Life' is a Christmas fantasy-drama film directed by Frank Capra. It's based on the short story and booklet 'The Greatest Gift' by Philip Van Doren Stern.
This movie is why I always say the ending to a movie is the most important part. I didn't classify this as a Christmas movie, nor was I 100% invested in the story until the final act of the film. I loved it!
The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up his dreams to help others, and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched, and how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be if he had never been born.
I honestly can't talk about the acting being good or bad, it was a different time back then and you really can't judge. I will say that I love James Stewart and I know what he can do and what he usually does. This was a different role for him to take on and he did a great job.
The story really doesn't pull you in, and it's not the most exciting. The movie does a good job at creating a protagonist that you are rooting for in the very beginning. You want George Bailey to succeed and travel around the world, but he always puts others before himself, until he feels he just can't do it anymore. The ending of this movie is brilliant and breathtaking. I found myself in tears by the end and it really captures that if you have friends you're never truly alone. I don't really consider this to be a true Christmas movie, being the ending is the only part where Christmas is even mentioned.
Overall, the movie is a heartwarming story that should be watched at least once in everyone's lifetime.
4/5