one of the sweetest tales to ever be made , it 's a wonderful life is n't perfect , but its good natured charm and beautiful performances light up the screen with glorious results .
probably the greatest " feel - good " film of all time , it 's a wonderful life aims for the heart , and strikes with a golden arrow . on christmas eve , george bailey ( stewart ) is being prayed for by many in the small town of bedford falls .
you see , george is in trouble , and he has always helped others who needed it .
this one time , however , god answers his prayers , and sends down the lovable guardian angel clarence ( travers ) to try and save george .
clarence has got his own problems , however .
clarence is an angel without his wings , and each time the bell rings , the wings pass him by .
the bailey case is a way for him to earn those magical wings and become a true angel .
but before clarence can save george , he first has to go through a cliffs
notes version of george bailey 's life .
we see george sacrificing his hearing to save his brother 's life , sacrificing his college education to save the family business , sacrificing his dream of living far away to support his brother , and even sacrificing his life to make sure his brother is happy working somewhere else .
when the bank his family owns is in trouble , george gives away his honeymoon money to make sure the bank is n't sold to the evil mr .
potter ( barrymore ) , who wants nothing less than to get the baileys out of bedford falls .
one christmas , potter gets his chance .
uncle billy bailey ( mitchell ) loses $ 8 , 000 of the bank 's money .
without the money , the bank must close down .
george is stuck in a tremendous bind , and contemplates suicide .
clarence , the faithful servant , is there just to pick him up , and to show him what bedford would be like without george .
this is all a lead - in to the very famous last scene , where george finally sees what true happiness is about .
it 's a wonderful life does have its faults .
the movie is beginning to feel dated in the details , especially in the treatment of women and men .
the sex roles in the film are weirdly out of place in the 90 's , like something out of a revisionist look .
all the men drink too much and slap their wives too much during some portions of the film .
there are , however ,
endearing moments in all of this .
capra puts in just enough humor mocking the sex roles of the 50 's to make the movie remarkably enjoyable .
the story is hackneyed , and the ending feels , well , a little too sugarish .
there 's this uneasy feeling of sugar over everything , especially the sequences where george is either in trouble , or helping somebody .
it 's a little too nice for my liking , at times .
there is , however , enough humor , enough wit , and enough of jimmy stewart to get the movie through the middle part , which would be the most difficult .
but watching it 's a wonderful life is never boring or difficult : it 's always interesting , right until the finale , which , for all its sugar , makes delightful sense and is beautifully done
.
capra does have his monumental cliches , but the actors relish them and overplay everything to perfection .
donna reed is perfect
as the loving , obeidient wife , and lionel barrymore is gloriously grump as mr .
potter .
everyone else is magnificent , including bert and ernie ( ward bond and frank faylen ) .
there is a general sense of goodness , as if everyone in the film knows that they are making a great film , and they relish that .
stewart , however , is the king of all of this .
he is sometimes awkward , especially when saying " merry christmas " to all objects , animate or inanimate .
but he is james stewart , and he 's lovably delightful throughout the film .
have i complained ?
i should n't have .
this is a really good movie .
no , this is a great movie .
better yet , this is a phenomenal movie .
there is a reason classics are invented : to make sure that people will always have great movies to aid them in their quest for living life .
this is one of those films .
it is a " feel - good " movie , something people complain a little too much about .
but capra 's reworking of " a christmas carol " is the greatest christmas movie of all time .
there , i 've said it .
i have to admit , the first time i saw this
, i saw it with my family , including my 11 year old kid sister .
they all loved it .
they loved george , his wife , his troubles , and the beautiful ending .
is it a little too sugar - coated ?
maybe .
no matter .
this is a film that should be watched time and time again , with families around a coffee table , and eggnog on the plate .
it is a film that just makes you feel good about life , family , and hope .
it is the perfect christmas film , flaws and all .
it is frank capra 's greatest acheivement , and that really does say a lot .
for about 121 out of 129 minutes , this movie is flawless .
the rest can be excused : no film is perfectly flawless .
i ca n't get over how much i love this movie , and how much you will , after watching it , digesting it , and sitting with your family , appreciating how special life really is .
this movie is flawless makes delightful sense and is beautifully done the greatest christmas movie of all time a really good movie the perfect christmas film i love this movie there is , however , enough humor , enough wit , and enough of jimmy stewart to get the movie through the middle part endearing moments glorious results good natured charm and beautiful performances lovably delightful is never boring or difficult : it 's always interesting everyone else is magnificent should be watched time and time again a great movie greatest acheivement remarkably enjoyable donna reed is perfect a phenomenal movie one of the sweetest tales to ever be made the king of all of this strikes with a golden arrow