As we’re approaching the Christmas season, what better time to review one of the all-time Christmas classics, It’s a Wonderful Life. Interestingly enough, not many people saw It’s a Wonderful Life when it was first released. It was only during syndications of it during the Christmas season in the 1970s that it garnered public attention, and went on to become the classic we know it as today. So, despite director Frank Capra not ever intending it to be “a Christmas movie,” it has become so integrally associated with Christmas, and really only gained notoriety through that association. That’s not to say that nobody cared about the movie until then, as it was nominated for five Academy Awards (despite not winning any of them) when it was first released. Regardless, it has only gained more love as time has gone on, and it still remains on many “best movie of all time” lists. Unlike most old movies that I review, I don’t really need to convince anyone to go seek it out, since you’ll find it playing every year during the holidays. Most people are familiar with this one, so I just want to join in on the appreciation of it.

It’s a Wonderful Life is about a man named George Bailey. We’re told early on in the movie that George is in trouble, and so an angel is sent to help him. Over the course of most of the runtime, we see George’s life story, and how he gets into the helpless situation that’s alluded towards in the beginning of the movie. I don’t really want to get into the specifics here, but what essentially happens here is that George must give up the life he wants in order to help out his friends and family. It’s a tale of doing what’s necessary, rather than following one’s dreams.

When people talk about what the movie is about, the description that’s usually given is that, on the brink of suicide, George is shown what his life would be like if he had never been born. However, this is only really the plot for the last half hour or so, so I don’t want anyone to be misled into thinking that this is the whole movie. I think people describe it this way because it’s the best and most memorable section of the movie, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the movie isn’t worth watching. It’s all really incredible, but it’s the ending where it just gets really special.

I think the reason for all of this is because of how profound and uplifting the ending message of the movie is. It’s a movie that really pushes the idea that the individual is special and important, and that we all have more value than we think. George is shown firsthand what would happen if he had never been born, and this shows him how much he has touched the lives of those around him. It’s the kind of movie that makes you feel like you also have that same kind of value in the lives of those around you, and it makes you grateful to be alive. Or, at least, this is how I felt after watching the movie. I think that it’s one of the best takeaway messages that I’ve ever seen in a movie, and so I love this movie for it.

If anything, I’ll only criticize the movie for being a little on the long side, being over 2 hours long. I never hated it or anything, but there were some sections that went on a little long and were slightly boring. These sections are few and far between, but it does unfortunately prevent the movie from being a complete masterpiece in my mind. There’s way more to love than not in the movie, but I’m not going to pretend like it’s perfect 100% of the time.

To sum it up, do I think that It’s a Wonderful Life is worth watching? Absolutely. I think the last half hour alone makes it worth the watch, but the whole movie is great. Frank Capra once again proves himself to be a great director (I’ve seen two other movies by him as well: It Happened One Night and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), and James Stewart delivers an absolutely amazing performance as George Bailey. Stewart is such a likeable guy, and this trickles into his performance so well. This is one of those movies that’s justified in being played every year. It really is that good, and you should watch it if you never have.

4.5/5