It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Every family has a Christmas movie that they watch every year. Some people watch Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, some watch The Polar Express, and some watch The Highlander. I don't know what it is about Sean Connery and immortality that is supposed to relate to Christmas but I don't tell people how to live their lives either. I myself am partial to The Christmas Story. Maybe it's because of the brilliant insight into a child's mind, the shared dream of all boys to own a b.b. gun, or maybe it's just because of all the well placed swear words. Either way it's not Christmas for me without that movie. I do remember a time, however, when we would watch It's a Wonderful Life as a family instead. I saw it so much as a child that as I was watching it this time I was shot back to the past. Memories of watching it, along with memories of all the sights and sounds of the movie, shot me way back. It also made me think, "Why did I watch this so much." Answer: It's kind of hard to avoid watching it when it's on every channel non-stop.

We all know that It's a Wonderful Life is about a ambitious young man named George living in a small time that wants nothing more than to get away and see the world. Things don't go as planned and he gets tied up saving the town from business tycoon Mr. Potter time and time again. When things take a turn for the worse George contemplates killing himself but is stopped by his guardian angel Clarence. What follows is an inverted take on A Christmas Carol when Clarence shows George what life would be like had he never lived.

As a child I didn't particularly care for this movie. I think it was because it is black and white. Having no culture, and being completely ignorant, forced me to not like the black and white aspect. Now that I'm older I can appreciate a movie despite it's lack of color (p.s. I watched the version where they added color for this review...don't judge me) and I really enjoyed it this time around. It takes an in depth look at human life, so it has a little something for everyone. This movie is so good at jerking at heart strings it made me cry a little at the end. I would go out on a limb and say that it most certainly belongs on the list of greatest movies. Christmas classic!

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.5
Would I own it? It's one that I want my kids to see if that tells you anything.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely

Here is a funny behind the scenes clip of It's a Wonderful Life made by the guys at howitshouldhaveended.com. They basically make cartoons that show how a movie should have ended. This clip breaks from that form, but is funny nonetheless.