If the mere image of Jimmy Stewart and Christmas makes you want to skip over this review-don't. You are just the person I want to read this. Up until the age of 29, I had never watched the Frank Capra Classic It's A Wonderful Life, simply because it had the reputation of being 'sentimental hogwash' to quote the film's villain, Henry Potter.

Now, I've never been a fan of Hollywood feel-good yawnfests that are often forced into some formula where in the end, the protagonist learns to be [insert whatever value] and that whatever grief bestowed upon the person was well worth it in exchange for the wisdom gained. Such artistic intents are not necessarily bad, but when Hollywood tries to force these values upon its viewers, what we get is some boring, preachy, forgettable mess that does not challenge nor offend. But such is not the case with It's A Wonderful Life.

First of all, this film is not just some random sequence of happy events; we are feeling the effects of 1930's Great Depression America, and George Bailey is constantly sacrificing himself in exchange for others, putting his goals aside in exchange for his responsibilities. It's not that he's doing it out of the 'good of his heart,' as the cliche would imply, but because he knows it's his duty. There is a difference. In fact, throughout the film, what gives George such character is the fact that he does complain and moan about not being able to do what he wants. He doesn't silently suffer, but he lets us know he's not happy. And damnit- he's not all smiles all the time. In fact, he's pretty stressed out, pissed off, discouraged, unappreciated, and frustrated. Though he does love the seemingly one good thing in his life, his wife Mary, but what separates this film from other 1940s films is the fact that the characters do get angry when they need to.

When Mary invites George into her home after she sees him tarrying outside her front yard, we see George struggling to open the gate, which appears to be stuck. This is something that would happen in real life, and it gives a reality to the film. In any other 1940s film, the scene would have been a lot more staged, would have been a lot more forced, and the acting not as good as Jimmy Stewart. Once inside, George is rather curt with her-not romantic in the least.

In fact, when Mary's mother asks what George is doing there, (after Mary responds with, 'he's making violent love to me mother,' something that shows she has a bit of spunk, not just some passive girl) and her mother then asks what he wants, George just responds tersely with, 'I don't want anything, I just came in to get warm.' Then, when he abruptly tries to leave, Mary is upset because their interaction did not go as she had hoped, and so she pulls the record off the record player (which is playing the 'Buffalo Gals' song they sang when he walked her home from a dance earlier in the film) and smashes it. We learn very early in the film that Mary has loved George even as a child, when the young Mary leans over into his deaf ear and whispers, 'George Bailey, I'll love you till the day I die,' as he is reaching for her ice cream, and of course, the young George doesn't hear her.

George is not a character with a constant annoying zippity do da smile on his face, and this makes him something believable, and someone we can relate to. When he learns that Uncle Billy has misplaced the $8,000, once George is home with Mary and the kids, he is abrupt, cranky, yelling, and knocking things over. We can feel his fear and his frustration after having lost the money. Then when he leaves to contemplate suicide, (which his reasons for aren't out of self-pity, but because his insurance says he is worth more dead than alive) Clarence 'saves him' and then shows what his life would have been like had George never been born. The sequence works because George WAS someone who made a real difference in the lives of the people of Bedford Falls. He was literally the one in control of helping them find homes, and keeping the nasty, bitter Henry Potter away from the Building and Loan.

At the end of the film, one of the men say, 'I wouldn't have a roof over my head if it wasn't for George Bailey,' and that's true. The only part I thought was a bit heavy handed was the fact that Mary would have ended up a dowdy 'old maid,' had she not met George. I can believe that Uncle Billy might have ended up in the insane asylum since 1) he was not too bright and all there to begin with and 2) while not a bad person, certainly not a strong one who could stand up to Potter-someone with the ability to bully him into the ground. Perhaps they instead should have made Mary get married to someone else, someone who probably would not be as good for her as George-but I let this quibble slide since the film is handled so well, that I can add that suspension of disbelief.

The sad thing is, that in real life, most never learn the influence they've had on people. And to think that there are likewise so many who, like Potter, that cause misery, who were they never born, the world probably would have been a better place. I love George Bailey because he is someone who stands up and fights for things, but unfortunately, those who do in real life are often penalized for having done it, and they never really come to learn what impact they might have had if only people would have told them. Just look at the literary world, and how so few are willing to stand up and decry something that is bad writing, all because they are afraid of rubbing people the 'wrong way.' It is by doing this, how the Potters of the world are able to take over.In the beginning of the film, when we are hearing the Bedford Falls' prayers for George Bailey, the angels summon Clarence, George's guardian angel, for help. Clarence then asks, 'what is he... sick?' and the other angel says, 'no, worse...he's discouraged.' This line is something that shouldn't be dismissed lightly because for most people, discouragement will affect them far more than sickness. For everyone that dies of cancer, there are a hundred thousand or more beneath the weight of a bad boss, a bad job, a failed marriage, or just the feeling of failure all together. The film wraps up nicely in the end when Clarence gives George his copy of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and inscribes the book, reminding him that 'no man is a failure if he has friends.' And as trite as this may seem, by the end of the film it literally is his friends that save George Bailey's life, his family, and his business from failure. Hence when they call George Bailey 'The richest man in Bedford Falls,' it really is true.

I find it sad that for as many out there who like to call themselves 'artists' (regardless of talent or not), how very few are really willing to stand up for anything, to really have an opinion. Why are you a writer then? This of course should apply to all artists, but writing is the art I'm closest to, and so that's why I can't imagine anyone wanting to censor themselves, all because they worry they will 'offend.' The one thing I've always strived for is to help people question things, not just in asking banalities, but really question, and not be afraid to have opinions and state them strongly, even if it seems that everyone around you disagrees. I have always had the drive to impact people, and for me that way will be though my writing, albeit I still have to wade through Potter-infested waters before that can happen.

Putting aside your bias, this is a GREAT film, one that has been replayed over the years on Christmas Eve for a reason. When this film came out, in 1946, it came and went with little recognition. It was only until the years went by that people began to take notice. That's what great art does, it's timeless, and it holds on, and like George Bailey, it perseveres and does not go away, even after it has said what it needs to. One of the most powerful lines in the film is when Clarence tells George, "You see George, you've really had a wonderful life." And we can see why.

To be able somehow to have had an impact-and even more so, to be shown it; if not by some angel waiting to get his wings, then by someone candid enough to share it, such would be a wonderful honor in any life. And would that most have lives so wonderful.

Read another review of the film here.