One of the Greatest Films Ever Made

Rating: 8/10 (20 August 2010)

The drama fantasy It's a Wonderful Life is directed by Frank Capra and stars James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore and it takes place in a modern day small town.
The film starts off with angels talking about how a man, George Bailey (Stewart), needs help to make his life better. The angels decide to send a second class angel, Clarence, to go and help him. But before sending him they give him all the important details of his life. The first one that is shown was when George Bailey was a child and saved his brother's life and stopped the shopkeeper he worked for from selling poison tablets. Then it showed when George Bailey was older and how he dreamed of traveling the world but at any chance he got he had to do some sort of work for the loan shop he was in charge of. He fell in love with a young woman named Mary Hatch (Donna Reed) but struggled to gain her as his wife. This film is excellent and has a morale that everyone needs to hear, a timeless classic.
Frank Capra directed this film brilliantly. It was truly sentimental and he made it so you could feel the emotions of George Bailey. There were quite a few classic moments that he created in this film such as when George asks Mary is she wants for him to lasso the moon for her. Capra truly created an excellent film.
The writing of this film was pure bliss. There are not that many films out there that have a sense of purity such as this one and that is intended for all audiences. There were many ups and downs on this ride and it left you completely satisfied.
The acting by the whole cast was remarkable. James Stewart gave a great performance as George Bailey never being able to get what he really wants and being extremely stressed by all the tasks that he has to do. Donna Reed was great as the love interest, providing much support for Stewart's character to grow off of. Lionel Barrymore was great as the big business man in town trying to buy up everything and keeping Bailey down. Excellent performances for an excellent film.
Overall I give this film a strong 9/10, it is truly a timeless classic from the legendary Frank Capra. I recommend this to absolutely everyone young and old, it is a truly heartwarming story that has already gone down in film history.