It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

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Christmas List 2024

Among the greatest titles of all time, let alone greatest Christmas titles of all time, 'It's a Wonderful Life' has gone down in history as a sort of bar-setter for "feel-good" movies. It acts as a friendly reminder to all of us that despite the problems we may be going through, our lives are important, not just to ourselves, but to those around us, who love and care about us. It's just about the perfect movie to put on any time of the year one may be feeling a bit low - it doesn't have to be a "Christmas only" film, considering the subject matter.

As a matter of fact, even though this is regarded very much as a Christmas movie, Christmastime isn't even really a part of it until the end. Still, however, the themes within fit the mood for the holiday, complete with healthy doses of comedy, drama, and magic, making this still, to this day, one of the more imaginative and original Christmas movies out there. I mean, honestly, what more could be said about it? It's damn near perfect, and its a classic that still holds up incredibly well.

As things kick off here, it's Christmas Eve, 1945, in Bedford Falls, New York, where one George Bailey (James Stuart) is on the edge of the unthinkable. Prayers from his loved ones reach Heaven, where a wingless angel named Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) is assigned from his "boss," Joseph (Joseph Granby) to head down to Earth to try to talk George out of it. If he does so, Clarence will earn his long-awaited wings, but first, there's a lot of detail about George's life to be covered. So, Clarence is shown a series of flashbacks about George's life.

To make a whole lot of exposition short, the gist of it is that George is a sweet, kind, loving and caring man who will put his friends first. This is most often illustrated with his desire to leave town and travel, and varying factors in Bedford Falls that make him stay put. One may guess he's a bit of a pushover with this, but he's all about keeping things good for the people of town, especially from the greedy Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), who seeks to dissolve George's father's Building & Loan company.

The flashbacks further cover other important aspects of George's life, including his love life with Mary Hatch (Donna Reed), and various other things that keep the poor guy grounded. Eventually, things do take a turn for the worse when it comes to Potter and his reach within the town, which eventually leads us to the film's opening, and where the movie really gets good. Once George meets Clarence, he wishes he was "never born at all," and is given the opportunity to see what things would be like in Bedford Falls is he had never existed.

Not to get into spoiler territory, but the rest of the film plays out rather darkly, as George never truly realized just how important his existence is to the people around him. With that whole concept in mind, it's no wonder this has become such a classic. If I'm perfectly honest, I would love the opportunity to see what things would be like had I never existed - not in a negative way, mind you, just in a curious way. The film plays it as a pretty scary scenario, but I think that's what draws people in. It's a fascinating concept.

So, while this is regarded mainly as a movie to watch around the holidays, I would argue that it's something appropriate for any time of year one might be feeling a bit harsh on one's self. The whole thing is a friendly reminder that we are important to those around us, and is topped with the famous quote "no man is a failure who has friends." I feel like that's something that goes a long way in reminding us how others see us. With our loved ones, be they family or friends, as long as we have them in our corner, life is wonderful.

5/5

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