Movie Notes: It’s A Wonderful Life

December 25th, 2008

= 5 stars

Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
Directed by Frank Capra

This week, we watched It’s A Wonderful Life — a classic Frank Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey. If you haven’t seen it by now, you’ve probably consciously avoided it. It’s definitely worth seeing all the way through. I still enjoy it, even after around ten viewings (always around Christmas), and there are still some parts that always make me chuckle, while others make me well up. But despite being largely a positive, uplifting movie, there are some aspects of it that are extremely dark and negative.

Here’s the basic plot: George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) is a prime example of the “average Joe,” living in small-town Bedford Falls. He runs a savings and loan, living a relatively honest, working-class life, supporting the little guy and sticking up to Mr. Potter, the town’s evil rich guy, who gets loaded keeping the less-well-to-do denizens in hock (at one point he calls some recent immigrants “garlic eaters”).

In addition to simple morals, George also has simple dreams: to travel the world and become an architect building great buildings. Unfortunately, “life” gets in the way and he’s never able to chase his passions. He ends up managing the savings and loan, married with children. It’s a good life for sure, but he suppresses a feeling of sorrow from a dream deferred.

Just before Christmas, an employee screw-up at the bank leads to missing funds. George freaks out and decides to attempt suicide. At the last moment, a guardian angel appears and helps George see the “light”: That his life, no matter how small-seeming, is wholly worth living. This is presented to him and us through a fantasy sequence featuring a world without George. Mr. Potter has taken over the town, now overrun by hoodlums and bars, and George’s wife is a childless librarian.

Anyhow, after such a nightmare, George naturally decides his life is worth living after all, leading to a climactic, head-rush of a scene where he runs through snowy Bedford Falls screaming like a looney-bird, shouting “Merry Christmas!” to everyone. Upon his return home, all of his friends and past acquaintances come forth with money to lend George and in turn save the savings and loan. Happy ending.

So although I love this film, especially the final sequence where George goes bats, there are a few things that have always bugged me about it.

First, there’s and undeniable emphasis on money. George contemplates suicide because he’s broke. The solution to his problem is to shower him with coinage. The desire for great wealth and thinking it will solve our problems and bring happiness is an undeniably capitalist and American ideal that’s kind of crass — but speaks to anyone living in this modern society inundated with commerce, commercialism, and cash.

Second, there’s the concept that adults still retain the basic qualities they had as children. George is an honest child, saving Mr. Gower from mistakenly poisoning someone. Mr. Potter is evil over the span of many years. The boy who says “hee haw” still relies on this catch phrase as a grown-up. The film lives in that fantasy world where people never change, evolve, or morally alter the fundamental nature they were born with. I don’t know about you, but I relate better to imperfect characters that are various shades of grey.

So although I appreciate the film and still tear up at the end, I don’t think it’s because I see George Bailey as such a great guy and I want to be like him — it’s more because the film’s ending presents a middle-class fabrication that we’d all love to see exist for everyone in modern America — but it sadly doesn’t.

But yes, I know a traditional holiday movie isn’t supposed to be real. I totally recommend seeing It’s A Wonderful Life. It will choke you up inside — but as far as I’m concerned, it’s because it’s undeniably a fiction.

IMDB: It’s A Wonderful Life
Wikipedia: It’s A Wonderful Life
Rotten Tomatoes: It’s A Wonderful Life 92%