Review of Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) by Jesse L — 07 Dec 2004

(VHS) (First Viewing, 3rd McCarey film).

The thing that is so miraculous in [b]Make Way for Tomorrow[/b], Leo McCarey?s dissection of family politics, is that no character is ever painted as a villian- all points of views are carefully weighed, and what emerges is a group of essentially good characters hopelessly caught in a bad situation that only gets worse through the film?s running time. No single character is ever specifically condemned- their actions speak for themselves, and it is left up to the viewer to decide how appropriate their reaction was. Beulah Bondi and Victor Moore both give agonizingly sympathetic performance as the well-meaning parents who finds themselves burdens to their children, who include Thomas Mitchell, Fay Bainter, Elisabeth Risdon and Minna Gombell. A beautiful examination of familial relationships and the gray areas life often throws at us- allowing for no easy black and white answers.