Review of It's a Wonderful Life (1946) by Byron B — 19 Nov 2013

A classic Christmas movie, but the story isn't really about Christmas. A performance where Jimmy Stewart get to show some range. After seeing George Bailey (Stewart) grow up from a God's eye view, including falling in love with Mary (Reed), we witness him struggle to keep his family's Building and Loan office open through financial difficulty. Through desperation his character considers ending his life. George's guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers), shows him what life would have been like if George Bailey never existed! Then, through the desperation of wanting more than anything to get back to his family and friends and the life he "lost," George learns an important lesson.

It's a Wonderful Life looks forward to financial issues still with us today, as illustrated in Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story. Mr. Potter (Barrymore) represents the bank that controls most of George Bailey's small town. Potter keeps the workers in his slums and tries to ruin the Building and Loan every chance he gets, since the Baileys are too free with giving loans for new houses to the poor. The bottom line for Potter is how to make a profit and be a good businessman, meaning a predatory businessman. The bottom line for George has always been to offer a helping hand to his family and neighbors.