Tanner’s review published on Letterboxd:
Had the privilege of introducing the film to someone for the first time. It’s such an icon to me, easily the best Christmas movie but also one of my favorites of all time. I can’t watch it without crying.
What’s so unique in my mind is the patience displayed. Clarence doesn’t become a character until nearly two hours in. The iconic wish sequence is rather brief and I’d estimate is about ten minutes long and occurs just before the closing credits.
All of the preamble is building a man’s entire life from the ground up. Watching him grow and face a steady stream of life’s disappointments. Mild though they may seem, each has the potential to break him when stacked up over the course of a lifetime.
We see him bend. He’s not immune to anger, he lashes out but is always pulled back to Earth. And finally, when he feels too far gone, like the weight of the world rests on his shoulders, and that he doesn’t have a single friend in the world, a life well-lived is beautifully paid off.
I’m rambling but it’s so precious, a life-affirming film that makes the world seem just a bit brighter. A Christmas tradition for myself that I was incredibly glad to share with someone else, tears and all.
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