It's a Wonderful Life Movie Review

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

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Written by: Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett and Frank Capra (screenplay by), Jo Swerling (additional scenes), Philip Van Doren Stern (based on a story by), Michael Wilson (contributor to screenplay, uncredited)
Directed by: Frank Capra
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Frank Faylen, Gloria Grahame
Rated: PG
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Plot
After George Bailey wishes he had never been born, an angel is sent to earth to make George's wish come true. George starts to realize how many lives he has changed, and how they would be different if he was never there.

Verdict
It's a classic that stands the test of time. George always mourns what could have been, forced to make choices to benefit others over himself. When a mistake means the end of his bank and career, he's despondent. There's no way out. Everything he's worked for is gone. That's what he thinks, unaware of how his generosity and kindness has affected the community. He gets a glimpse of a different life and realizes the impact he's had and what the town means to him. George's eyes are opened and he develops a renewed joy about all he has. He may not have a lot of money, but he's incredibly rich.
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Review
This is based on a short story that in turn was inspired by Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The movie is considered a classic now but reviews were mixed at the time. This became a Christmas classic after copyright expired in 1974 and stations began broadcasting it due to no licensing or royalty fees.

With several people praying for George Bailey (James Stewart), the heavens conspire to help him. An angel is assigned and clips from George's life are shown under the guise of letting the angel know who he's helping while providing exposition for the audience. George is a good kid as seen through formative moments in his life with big dreams of traveling the world. Just as George is about to embark on his European trip his father has a stroke. He must stay and resolve the business affairs, and then he's voted to stay as the bank executive otherwise it will be disbanded. He has to stay. We see George's dreams slowly float away. Life gets in the way of the best plans. We've seen his life unfold from childhood to adulthood in a few scenes. He feels trapped in a life born of obligation as George continues to sacrifice for others in his community. He eventually settles down in his hometown Bedford Falls, marrying Mary Hatch (Donna Reed).

James Stewart plays George Bailey

The reoccurring villain is the greedy banker Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore). He tried to disband the bank earlier, and later he tries to incite panic and run George's bank out of business. George uses his honeymoon money to satisfy customer withdrawals. His bank survives, and George continues to help the town. In the process George siphons people out of the slums and takes rent away from Potter. Uncle Billy loses a deposit that threatens the future of the bank. George is despondent, though he's been grumpy for most of the movie. I get it, but complaining about your kids in front of them is extreme. George is desperate due to the dire bank situation. With a hefty life insurance policy, that might be his only way out.

Right on the brink, George is saved by angel Clarence (Henry Travers). That's where the classic sequence begins. To convince George that his life matters, Clarence creates a reality where George was never born. Bedford Falls is now Pottersville, but George has a difficult time believing what he's seeing. The town is strange, but surely this isn't a world where George Bailey never existed. By seeing a world he wasn't in, George realizes the impact he's had on the town and the impact the town has had on him. While he thought his footprint was small, he was wrong. So many people are facing much harder times without his influence. George wants to live for them and for himself. He returns to his reality, overjoyed and with a will to live. It's a feeling of happiness he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Donna Reed, James Stewart play Mary, George Bailey

Complimenting George's new joy is the town pitching in to help the bank, repaying the kindness George has shown over the years. George gets a new perspective, now happy about his choices instead of always wondering what could have been. George counted wealth by money and what he didn't have, but he discovers that wealth can be measured in friends, family, and kindness.