Hollywood's best-loved star teams up with America's favourite director to create one of the world's most popular films.
"It's a Wonderful Life", everyone's favourite saccharine Christmas film, but why? We are confronted by a man, George Bailey, who cries, on Christmas Eve no less, "It would be better if I was never born!", and contemplates suicide. Then we witness, with him, courtesy of his guardian angel all of the good, self-less acts he has committed during his life, starting with saving his brother from drowning and including saving the town from the evil Mr. Potter, who has now brought ruin to our friend. The film is simplistic, sentimental and squeaky clean. Which is fine for a family film usually aired at Christmas. But its characters are poorly realised and two dimensional, as are the relationships between them, Bailey and his childhood sweetheart. Really it is a portrait of how people, particularly Americans, would like to be, be seen, and see each other. For all that it is well-crafted, entertaining, a classic of sorts and much-loved. I know why some people love it, but would never call it a great film myself.
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