Despite knowing and seeing it referenced throughout the years, I had never seen It’s a Wonderful Life for the twenty years I have lived, being a film that I heard was synonymous with Christmas and the holidays. At some point sooner or later, I knew I would see it for myself, and now, that has finally happened. Unsurprisingly, this is an excellent work of film; one that has and will continue to be timeless. But I’m sure those of you reading this already knew that, and have probably heard much, much talk and praise about it overtime. I won’t get carried away with what I have to say, but I must give proper acclaim where it’s due. 

A terrific script and compelling cinematography give this film thematically and visually-splendid qualities. James Stewart gives forth an outstanding effort in the lead performance, alongside the rest of the extensive cast. Despite the numerous solid performances that are to be found here, Stewart carries so much of the film, going all-in both physically and emotionally to play protagonist George Bailey. Its narrative is utterly splendid, feeling like a breeze to watch, with the film sporting a timeless message; one that most definitely resonates with me. Especially after all that I’ve been through in the last year. I was quite surprised by how much of the film’s runtime was spent leading up to what it’s arguably most well-known for (being towards the end), and I happily welcomed every scene that explored George’s life, everyone he knew, and getting to see these characters live, breathe, and interact with one another over a seamless runtime that never dragged. 

As a bit of a tangent, my heart and mind seem to work and react in the strangest of ways. I cry at some films, some of those being the kinds of films you don’t typically cry while watching or even thinking about. The ones that most everyone seems to at least shed a tear for, I can’t muster up any of them. Even if at the very least I can sometimes feel that emotion well up inside me. That continues to be the case here. A film that I could feel tugging on the strange inner machinations of my being that I sometimes think is cold, black, and heartless. It only feels the slightest bit strange to say that I didn’t cry from a film as powerful and acclaimed as this, but that is the case for me; however I function. Ultimately, despite these feelings both regarding and outside of the film, I still felt a general set of emotions stirring up within me while watching. 

My only prominent gripe with the film has to do with a few little occurrences around its first act; things that are obviously of their times as depicted in this film. And yet, for how iconic and resonating it is after all these years, It’s a Wonderful Life is undoubtedly a must-watch, plain and simple. Especially for this festive time of year.