Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

I think we can all agree upon the fact, that assembling a Holiday/Christmas movie can be quite the simple affair. Because this is a magical time of year, one that puts a smile on everyone’s face at some point or another, regardless of the tough days they may or may not face, simply because everyone is focused on the spirit of the season and that really does change the energy in the air. And when that level of joy is everywhere to be found, it’s easy to create stories that harness smiles and that’s why you see so many movies in this vein this time of year, because writers and directors and actors and producers everywhere, are able to seize the zeitgeist of the holidays.
 
But while it is nice to see that feel-good entertainment can flood streaming services and television and theaters with minimal fuss, these are movies we tend to forget about once the season comes to an end and there is good reason for that. Because quick flashes of joy never quite stay with us, and we need something far more palpable from these motion pictures in order for them to have a legacy. Which in turns brings about an important question; what is it then that separates the enduring classics from the stuff that The Hallmark Channel churns out? Well, the answer to that question is simple: substance. For the classics provide the audience with something powerful, something that resonates with us. It could be something as simple as capturing the spirit of the season, or in the case of the finest Christmas movie ever made, it could take the time to remind us of how we sometimes forget to celebrate the good things in our life. Which is the big problem that George Bailey faces in It’s a Wonderful Life.
 
Now this is one of those iconic films that everyone has seen or will see at some point in their life, which is damn impressive when one considers that it came out in 1946. Which means there will be no plot synopsis presented to anyone today. For it is best that we just dive right in and break down what makes this film so memorable and really the first element that allows for this movie to stick with the audience, are the characters present in this film. For every single person we meet in this story we’ve known a variant of, or we’ve been them at a particular point in our lives. And that allows for the audience to be drawn into a world of everyday people and since they’re good and normal folks, well minus Potter of course, we immediately want to root for them and see them succeed in life and oddly enough the relatability factor doesn’t end with characters that feel familiar.

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​Because this movie does a frightfully phenomenal job of capturing some of life’s genuine struggles. Such as how our hopes and our dreams are sometimes dashed or altered by tragedy since George seems to be unable to escape the town, he ‘despises’ because of powerful events; such as the death of his father or Potter’s power play with the bank and well, we’ve been there. We’ve been ready to embark on an important chapter of our life only to have fate throw a wrench into our plans and we are forced to react on the fly and that really does strike one right in the heart, as does the film’s exploration of everyday anxiety. In fact, I’m hard pressed to think of another Christmas themed drama that bothers to show the anxiety that comes with trying to tell someone we admire romantically how we really feel about them, or how the uncertainty of tomorrow can eat at our soul. But while all of this is powerful in its own right, it all pales in comparison to what this story examines in its finale.
 
For George’s decision to end his life, and the arrival of Clarence is where the movie dives deep into the need to take a step away from time to time and really examine our life and what it has gifted us with. Because we tend to forget, that we have people in our lives that really do go the extra mile for us and believe in us and worry about us day and night. And to complicate matters further, sometimes life and its incredible stresses get the better of us, prompting us to push those important people away. But when we do take that all-important moment to reflect and think about the good people surrounding us, it motivates us to be the person they admire, and give them every ounce of love they deserve and that’s a damn powerful message to be reminded of, one that really resonates with you long after this movie has come to an end.
 
If anything, I was ill prepared for how powerful and moving this movie turned out to be after all these years, and I suppose that’s my own fault for waiting so long to revisit this one. But I am glad that I did, because this really was a moving and engrossing viewing experience and man, it really does feature some next level storytelling, since the script is beautifully layered and of course, the performances are no joke either. Because the cast here really gives it their all, with a big shout out to Jimmy Stewart since he straight up puts on an acting clinic as George Bailey, and this film helps to remind everyone just how talented an actor that man was back in the day. But I digress, because what matters more here, is that this movie really is the standard when it comes to holiday films. Because it really does capture the spirit of the season and its meaning, and its exploration of how easy it is to get lost this time of year and its ability to give us pause and center us, makes it a truly unique motion picture, one that I imagine we will continue to celebrate for decades to come. 

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