Much like my review of The Stooges' Raw Power, I would suggest that if you haven't seen this film, stop reading, set aside two and a half hours and watch the film all the way through.
When I first watched Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life in its entirety ten years ago, I was a nineteen year old recent high school graduate in a state of transition. I was about to shake free from the confusion of high school and enter the most carefree, joyous times I'd enjoyed up that point. The film's jubilant mood and inspiring message of appreciating life itself will always carry that association with me. I'll always remember the first time I saw the film just after Thanksgiving and shedding real tears of joy by its conclusion. The next day, I declared it to be my new favorite film of all time. Ten years later, it has not only retained but also strengthened that position.
Simply put, It's A Wonderful Life is more than a great film. It's a spiritual experience, one that transcends the purpose of art and entertainment. It utilizes the storytelling aspect of film to deliver a message that is simple, yet noble. No other film in history has so effectively communicated both the humbling pain and unexpected glory of the human experience.
Most people would balk at the idea of calling an almost universally acknowledged classic "underrated", but I will say that there's a certain stigma surrounding the film, which diminishes its depth. Skeptics (who usually haven't seen the film) tend to critique its ubiquitous, unrealistically "happy" ending or dismiss it as simply that black and white Christmas movie that plays every December on NBC. It's a classic example of a message losing its meaning when removed from its context. Yes, the premise of an entire town chipping in to donate thousands of dollars to the downtrodden protagonist seems to be a ending out of a typical holiday fairy tale, especially in today's world of greed run amok. But is it really that inconceivable? Or are we entirely missing the point?
Apart from its relieving conclusion, It's a Wonderful Life is actually quite bleak in nature. It spends its first half exploring the life of George Bailey, a man whose grand dreams of exploration and glorious innovation are slowly taken from him by fate. Whether it's the call of work, family or simply his morality, George's plans to attend college and become a worldly architect are crushed when he's a teenager, in his mid twenties and his late twenties. As I watch this film every year, I find something newly relevant in George's story. One of the most subtle, yet heartbreaking moments in the film is when he realizes that he's reached his mid twenties and will likely never have a chance to see the exotic countries he'd been dreaming of since childhood. He tosses his brochures to the ground after holding onto them for almost twenty years. This frustration reaches a climax when his business loses an irreplaceable $8000, leading him to contemplate suicide.
As he makes suffers throughout the film, he also makes numerous sacrifices on behalf of his family and the townspeople, often beyond his knowledge. The film makes this important distinction to suggest the probability of all of us having a similar impact on the world around us. Some critics have also pointed out that not everyone can relate to George if they haven't lived life in a similarly altruistic fashion, performing good deeds left and right. The point Capra makes is that even a "saint" like George is completely unaware of the purpose he serves in life. From his perspective, he believes he has very little to show for his life and concludes that life would be better if he were never born.
Capra's message was ultimately for us to appreciate our unlikely purpose in life. Despite our outlook in the worst of times, we're never fully aware of how much we impact others with even the most minute gestures. Whether he's saving his brother from drowning or speaking on behalf of a friend in need of a loan, George spends the film giving to others as often as he laments his own unexpectedly sad life. Through a masterful performance by James Stewart, the audience feels every ounce of pain experienced by George Bailey. While the ending conjures up tears of joy and relief, Stewart also makes it impossible for us not to cry along with more than a few moments of despair more dramatically visceral than one would expect from a "family friendly" film. While it may have earned that classification over the years, It's Wonderful Life is also unequaled in its heavier moments.
While it has deservedly become a ritualistic holiday classic, the emotional sweep of It's a Wonderful Life bears a universal appeal which only becomes more relevant as millennials begin to face a harsh reality not unlike George Bailey. It's not a Christmas story or even an American story, despite its very American character. It's a film which extols the sometimes unrecognized yet increasingly scarce glory of goodwill toward others. Art often attempts to communicate this message, but very little of it succeeds in reigning us in as well as It's a Wonderful Life.
As society in general grows ever distant and resolves to build walls of separation, this film should become required viewing. If I had to describe just one piece of art as truly life-changing in a positive way, this would be it. Watch it. If you've already seen it, start watching it every year and find something new to love about it each time.
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