It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life

This is high-grade Capra corn.

Mr. Potter calls it “sentimental hogwash.”
Yeah, it is.

It’s contrived and simplistic. It stacks the deck just so.
Yeah, it does.

It’s a fantasy of redemption and good will.
Right again.

But it works. No movie has ever owned its sentimentality as fully or unashamedly. The last ten minutes create a genuine surge of feeling that few movies can match. It’s a setup, pushed hard by the director, but that last scene will shine a little cheer into even the hardest of hearts.

Everyone can use that!

On that note, all good wishes to friends here on Letterboxd this holiday season! I hope you enjoy these days with family, friends and your favorite movies.

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