Review of It's a Wonderful Life (1946) by Sgt. C — 07 Dec 2014

(92%).

Could this be the best Christmas movie of all time? Well if it is then the fact that it doesn't stuff elves, a fat man in a Coca-cola winter suit, and endless amounts of consumer based gift buying down the audiences throat helps matters greatly. Performance wise it has James Stewart playing a big hearted everyman without it ever once feeling forced or unrealistic because it shows both the good and bad elements of trying to the right thing in life. The plot does share more than a little similar elements than "A Christmas carol", only it focuses on a good man rather than an old miser, which if anything works just as well as it doesn't pull as hard on the regret emotion which is something one doesn't really want to feel too much around the end of the year. Above all else though this is a timeless classic, with great direction, well drawn characters, a brilliant sweet ending, and best of all it actually shows, in most powerful fashion, that Christmas can be an awful time of year if things aren't running smoothly, which is something really lacking from almost every other holiday movie making this 100% unmissable for all true cinema fans.