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It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

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  • Trailer 1
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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Frank Capra

Writer:

Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Jo Swerling

Release Date:

Jan 7, 1947

Runtime:

2hr 10m

Synopsis

An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.

Cast

  • James Stewart
  • Donna Reed
  • Lionel Barrymore
  • Thomas Mitchell
  • Henry Travers
  • Beulah Bondi
  • Frank Faylen
  • Ward Bond
  • Gloria Grahame
  • H.B. Warner

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.4
940.2K
255.3K
331.1K
RATINGS 30.8K FANS
4.4
  • Dec 24, 2020

    nobody likes getting the most out of a vowel quite like james stewart

    9.7K Likes
    Karsten
    Karsten
    Dec 25, 2020

    Oh right this is the most iconic Christmas movie because it actually IS the best Christmas movie

    7.2K Likes
    Patrick Willems
    Patrick Willems

    This film is a testament to the hypnotic powers all great classics possess. Every time I watch this I want to call my mum to tell her I love her, call my mate I haven't seen for far too long to grab a beer and it makes me want to go outside to hand out smiles to everyone I…

    7.1K Likes
    DirkH
    DirkH
  • Dec 19, 2019

    Remember: no man is a failure who has friends 😭😭😭

    6.1K Likes
    Alicia Malone
    Alicia Malone
    Dec 12, 2015

    Things I noticed this time: The big one I can't believe I never put together before: The first defining moment of George Bailey's life is diving in the icy water to save his brother; and Clearance has him do it again to save himself. How good is Samuel Hinds in his…

    5.1K Likes
    Sam Van Hallgren
    Sam Van Hallgren
    Jan 1, 2020

    please god let me live again

    4.9K Likes
    Jordan Horowitz
    Jordan Horowitz
  •
    Dec 25, 2019

    No matter how many times I watch this, “To my big brother George, the richest man in town” always gets me.

    4.8K Likes
    Chris Evangelista
    Chris Evangelista
    Dec 22, 2019

    it's a wonderful movie

    4.4K Likes
    maria
    maria
    Dec 19, 2023

    adult charlie brown

    4.3K Likes
    Karsten
    Karsten
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Queue Community Reviews

91%
Community 5,589
❤️ LOVE
48%
👍 LIKE
43%
😐 MEH
6%
👎 DISLIKE
2%
Top Reviews
  • Timothy Burleigh
    Timothy Burleigh loved
    It's a Wonderful Life

    9/10. A lovely story with great acting with one of the best of a generation. I miss the feeling of “plays on screen” that you get with movies of this era.

    1 🔥 2 2Y
    GERMASHKA
    GERMASHKA liked
    It's a Wonderful Life

    “A toast to my big brother George: the richest man in town”

    🔥 😭 3 1Y
    10000BCman
    10000BCman loved
    It's a Wonderful Life

    HOT DOG!!

    🔥 3 3Y
  • Morgan
    Morgan loved
    It's a Wonderful Life

    a timeless film :( it never fails to make me cry no matter how many times i watch it, especially at a time where i really needed it, which there will always be times like that such a great story that helps you appreciate the goodness of life and not take it for granted <3

    🔥 2 1Y
    HazelNut
    HazelNut loved
    It's a Wonderful Life

    The ending was so sweet!!!😭

    1 🔥 1 3D
    Kai Everard
    Kai Everard loved
    It's a Wonderful Life

    Oldie but awesome!!

    1 🥱 1 3Y
  • Alex
    Alex liked
    It's a Wonderful Life

    Wonderful Life is very wholesome and a great character study on a typical working-class man. They could’ve expanded on the “gimmick” of the film, with more time devoted to George Bailey and his Angel, but overall it’s a wonderful Christmas film with a powerful message behind it.❄️

    🥱 1 1Y
    faithy taytay
    faithy taytay loved
    It's a Wonderful Life

    can’t believe i hadn’t seen this sooner…i was sobbing at the end tbh

    🥱 1 1Y
    Laurel
    Laurel loved
    It's a Wonderful Life

    I always cry when I watch this movie it reminds me of my dad

    😭 1 1Y
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Atom User Reviews

 4.9 out of 5
70
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POPULAR TAGS
#great
#familyfriendly
#inspiring
#original
#allthefeels
#epic
#<3
#datenight
#fun
#seeingitagain
#greatcast
Verified Review
#great
#inspiring
#original
#allthefeels
#epic
#familyfriendly
#fun
#datenight
#<3

Greatest Christmas Movie EVER!

1 of 1 helpful votes
RP
Rudy P
Verified Review
#great
#epic
#<3

The greatest Christmas movie ever!

1 of 1 helpful votes
GB
gale B
Read all 74 customer reviews

Metacritic

89
metacritic
Based on 17 Critics
8.5

USER SCORE (194)

Universal acclaim based on 194 Reviews
100

It's one of those ageless movies, like Casablanca or The Third Man, that improves with age. Some movies, even good ones, should only be seen once. When we know how they turn out, they've surrendered their mystery and appeal. Other movies can be viewed an indefinite number of times. Like great music, they improve with familiarity. It's a Wonderful Life falls in the second category.

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Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
70

Indeed, the weakness of this picture, from this reviewer's point of view, is the sentimentality of it—its illusory concept of life. Mr. Capra's nice people are charming, his small town is a quite beguiling place and his pattern for solving problems is most optimistic and facile. But somehow they all resemble theatrical attitudes rather than average realities. And Mr. Capra's turkey dinners philosophy, while emotionally gratifying, doesn't fill the hungry paunch.

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Metacritic review by Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
The New York Times
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