Yeah, yeah, Christmas has been over for about two weeks now. But...screw it. I want to get this review out of the way rather then wait a whole year to finally review this particular movie, I'll just take advantage of seeing it at some point during Christmas time this past year, and review this classic once and for all. So at long last, here's my own review for It's A Wonderful Life.
Plot: George Bailey is a businessman who has become troubled and suicidal after a problem with his Building and Loan funds. So a 2nd class angel named Clarence is shown by his superiors Georges life then sent to earth to help him from taking his life. This eventually leads to Clarance showing George what the world would be like if he was never born.
Once again, we come across a movie where I ask 'what can I say that hasn't already been said.' (I mean I've probably said that in like, probably more then a dozen reviews now.) After all, the movie this time is It's A Wonderful Life. It's a timeless Christmas classic and...yeah, pretty much just that. It's a story that almost everyone is familiar with today, it has been parodied plenty of times in tv shows, a memorable characters, memorable dialogue, lovable cast, there's just so many things to love about it. James Stewart plays George Bailey and of coarse he does a perfect job at it. George Bailey is #9 among AFI's Top Heroes and it's easy to see why. George does a lot of things for other people, even when he's sacrificing what he really wants, and it leaves a big impact on the town even if he doesn't completely see it. The moments between him and his wife, Mary are also very enjoyable. Some of the scenes with them are considered to be one of the most romantic scenes in film history and while they don't quite touch my heart the way people like my mom or my brother's fiancee do, I can see why for the most part. Mr. Potter is #6 on AFI's Top Villains and he shows it very well. Just about every time I watch him or hear other characters talk about him, I think of him as a more dark sided version of Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. Like if instead of becoming the nicest guy ever, Scrooge goes even darker then just plain greedy, by wanting to take over a town and control everyone's lives, then you get Mr. Potter. Then of coarse we get to Clarance showing George what the world would be like if he was never born. This part of the film doesn't leave as big of an impact on me considering how it's been spoiled for me by one parody of the story itself, but I still see why people find it a deep, dark experience of what the world would've been like without George Bailey. And I don't want to give anything away, but the ending is probably one of the most heartstrings-pulling scenes I've ever seen. The only truly negative thing I've heard about this film is how it isn't really very realistic with what is exactly happening and...yeah I can see where that would be a problem to some people. But honestly, it's not suppose to directly be realistic. It's better to take this movie for just having just a moving story.
And that's my review for It's A Wonderful Life. It's one of the most timeless Christmas film as well as films in general with its great hero and villain, memorable dialogue and probably one of the most heartfelt stories as a film. The Best Years Of Our Lives was ultimately an enjoyable film, but this was the film that should've won best picture during that year. If you haven't seen it, give it a try next Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment