Review of You Can't Take It with You (1938) by Devon B — 20 May 2009

Frank Capra uses his usual cast of players in a film about the romance between a girl from an eccentric family and a boy from a high society family. Jimmy Stewart is the boy and Edward Arnold is the father, in what is probably the best part (and character in the movie).

The father is a bank president, and very powerful person. He's trying to organize a merger between several big companies, and is building a factory for this merged company. Unfortunately, there is one hold-out living on the land he wishes to build the factory, and he is refusing to sell.

That hold-out just happens to be the grandfather of the girl. The grandfather presides over a house of nuts, who don't work but somehow can afford servants. They all seem to practice at artistic pursuits they're unsuited to, and therefore are very bad at.

Anyway, despite the movie's dubious political message and the fact that Capra would use certain aspects of this film to greater effect in "It's A Wonderful Life", the movie is extraordinarily charming, and this is in no small part due to the wonderful performances by the cast.

Which brings me back to Edward Arnold's performance. He could've been made to simply be an evil, greedy man who in the last act, sees the error of his ways. It's quite a pleasant surprise to find the character has some depth.

Easy, emotional scenes could be seen as pandering to the audience, and the ending seems really abrupt, but once again, with performances this good, it's easy to overlook the sloppy bits.