59 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
59 lines
5.1 KiB
Plaintext
one of the sweetest tales to ever be made , it's a wonderful life isn't perfect , but its good natured charm and beautiful performances light up the screen with glorious results .
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probably the greatest " feel-good " film of all time , it's a wonderful life aims for the heart , and strikes with a golden arrow .
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on christmas eve , george bailey ( stewart ) is being prayed for by many in the small town of bedford falls .
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you see , george is in trouble , and he has always helped others who needed it .
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this one time , however , god answers his prayers , and sends down the lovable guardian angel clarence ( travers ) to try and save george .
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clarence has got his own problems , however .
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clarence is an angel without his wings , and each time the bell rings , the wings pass him by .
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the bailey case is a way for him to earn those magical wings and become a true angel .
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but before clarence can save george , he first has to go through a cliffs notes version of george bailey's life .
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we see george sacrificing his hearing to save his brother's life , sacrificing his college education to save the family business , sacrificing his dream of living far away to support his brother , and even sacrificing his life to make sure his brother is happy working somewhere else .
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when the bank his family owns is in trouble , george gives away his honeymoon money to make sure the bank isn't sold to the evil mr . potter ( barrymore ) , who wants nothing less than to get the baileys out of bedford falls .
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one christmas , potter gets his chance .
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uncle billy bailey ( mitchell ) loses $8 , 000 of the bank's money .
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without the money , the bank must close down .
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george is stuck in a tremendous bind , and contemplates suicide .
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clarence , the faithful servant , is there just to pick him up , and to show him what bedford would be like without george .
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this is all a lead-in to the very famous last scene , where george finally sees what true happiness is about .
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it's a wonderful life does have its faults .
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the movie is beginning to feel dated in the details , especially in the treatment of women and men .
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the sex roles in the film are weirdly out of place in the 90's , like something out of a revisionist look .
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all the men drink too much and slap their wives too much during some portions of the film .
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there are , however , endearing moments in all of this .
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capra puts in just enough humor mocking the sex roles of the 50's to make the movie remarkably enjoyable .
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the story is hackneyed , and the ending feels , well , a little too sugarish .
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there's this uneasy feeling of sugar over everything , especially the sequences where george is either in trouble , or helping somebody .
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it's a little too nice for my liking , at times .
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there is , however , enough humor , enough wit , and enough of jimmy stewart to get the movie through the middle part , which would be the most difficult .
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but watching it's a wonderful life is never boring or difficult : it's always interesting , right until the finale , which , for all its sugar , makes delightful sense and is beautifully done .
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capra does have his monumental cliches , but the actors relish them and overplay everything to perfection .
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donna reed is perfect as the loving , obeidient wife , and lionel barrymore is gloriously grump as mr . potter .
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everyone else is magnificent , including bert and ernie ( ward bond and frank faylen ) .
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there is a general sense of goodness , as if everyone in the film knows that they are making a great film , and they relish that .
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stewart , however , is the king of all of this .
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he is sometimes awkward , especially when saying " merry christmas " to all objects , animate or inanimate .
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but he is james stewart , and he's lovably delightful throughout the film .
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have i complained ?
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i shouldn't have .
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this is a really good movie .
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no , this is a great movie .
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better yet , this is a phenomenal movie .
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there is a reason classics are invented : to make sure that people will always have great movies to aid them in their quest for living life .
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this is one of those films .
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it is a " feel-good " movie , something people complain a little too much about .
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but capra's reworking of " a christmas carol " is the greatest christmas movie of all time .
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there , i've said it .
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i have to admit , the first time i saw this , i saw it with my family , including my 11 year old kid sister .
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they all loved it .
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they loved george , his wife , his troubles , and the beautiful ending .
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is it a little too sugar-coated ?
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maybe .
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no matter .
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this is a film that should be watched time and time again , with families around a coffee table , and eggnog on the plate .
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it is a film that just makes you feel good about life , family , and hope .
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it is the perfect christmas film , flaws and all .
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it is frank capra's greatest acheivement , and that really does say a lot .
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for about 121 out of 129 minutes , this movie is flawless .
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the rest can be excused : no film is perfectly flawless .
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i can't get over how much i love this movie , and how much you will , after watching it , digesting it , and sitting with your family , appreciating how special life really is .
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