A Different Take (mild spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (1 April 2002)

I love this movie and can watch it again and again. To me, this movie is intentionally bittersweet and ironic.
George Bailey's life is, or isn't, wonderful, depending on how you look at it, or how he looks at it. I don't think the movie's purpose is a sappy homily about how George will never be poor so long as he has friends. I think it's more like Voltaire's "Candide". Life is difficult, and often unpleasant, and you have to work to make it worthwhile, but the rewards of life are not unattainable or small.
I think "It's a Wonderful Life" makes a great companion to "Shenandoah", another James Stewart film, one which touches on the same theme from another perspective. "It's a Wonderful Life" is a happier film, and hence is easier to watch over and over, and it's one of the few holiday classics that really deserves repeat viewings.