It's a Wonderful Life

After I finished “It’s a Wonderful Life”, I was mad. Not at the movie, but at myself. For years, I had assumed that I knew what this movie was all about. It’s been parodied and referenced to probably just as many times as “The Wizard of Oz”. I believed that there was no hurry in seeing it, that if anything, waiting so that I could forget what the plot is about (if that would even be possible) would be the right thing to do. I was wrong, I could not have imagined how wonderful this movie is. This is my opportunity to prevent other people from making the mistake that I did by waiting as long as I did to see this classic. “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a treasure, a movie that’s so heartwarming and filled with charm that it breaks your heart and fills you with joy. You think you know the story, but you really don’t unless you’ve seen the film. It’s about a man (James Stewart as George Bailey) who contemplates suicide and is shown by his guardian angel (Henry Travers as Clarence Odbody) what the world would be like if he had never been born. That, and so much more.

What this movie is really about are sacrifice and second chances. George Bailey is a good man. He’s the kind of guy that is maybe a bit too kid for his own good because he consistently puts others in front of himself. More than that, he’s a man that understands that actions have consequences and us humans, we’re in this together. Let me clarify that. He’s not just a goody two-shoes that always nods politely and goes to church every Sunday because he knows it’s the right thing to do. He’s the kind of guy that believes in doing the right thing because he feels it’s his duty to do so.

What really struck me about “It’s a Wonderful Life” is that the characters are so well developed and so compelling. Everybody in this film feels genuine because nobody is perfect, but everyone has something going for them. Even the villain of the movie is believable because he’s not some moustache-twirling villain that is obviously sadistic and will inevitably get his comeuppance. That’s not to say that I didn’t have blazing hatred for Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Henry Potter, but I was angry at the character because I realized that there are people out there just like him. Their utter lack of compassion and their disregard for morality is what makes them truly evil people. Aside from George, the character that I was most impressed by was his love interest, Donna Reed as Mary. It certainly doesn’t hurt that this movie is slightly over 2 hours long (130 minutes) but you really feel like you get to know this woman, and not in the way that cheap movies have you get to know her. You come to your own conclusions about her beliefs and dreams. You don’t simply learn about them because they’re spelled out for you. This movie is much more intelligent than that.

I thought I knew everything there was to know about this movie and that I’d appreciate it for the nice message that it was going to tell me. I ended up falling in love with it because it really spoke to me. George Bailey is the kind of person I wish I were. It gives me hope. It makes me think of what the holiday season is really about. I can’t say that I dropped any tears, but I came so very close. I was surprised, as well, at how many big laughs were in the movie. It’s a comedy-drama, one that works sumptuously by expertly juggling the two polarizing genres.

Even aside from the captivating story and the characters, the warm feelings and the genuine heartbreaks you will get from watching the film, there’s a lot more going on that makes “It’s a Wonderful Life” worth your time. The performances are astounding. We see many of the actors play the same characters at different ages and they do a sensational, absolutely convincing job. There isn’t a thing that doesn’t work with “It’s a Wonderful Life”. It’s a movie that I had been missing out on by not seeing it earlier and I can’t see a year in the future where I won’t be desperately craving to see it during the Christmas holiday. (On DVD, December 19, 2014)