The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Name: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Duration: 2 h 50 min

2hr 50m

2hr 50m
4.2/5 (11.5K)
93%
93

Three WWII veterans return home forever changed and find it difficult to adjust to their new realities. More Details »

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Trailer 1 (01:47)

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

William Wyler

Producer:

Samuel Goldwyn

Writer:

Robert E. Sherwood, MacKinlay Kantor

Runtime:

2hr 50m

Synopsis

Three WWII veterans return home forever changed and find it difficult to adjust to their new realities.

Cast

Myrna Loy
Fredric March
Dana Andrews
Teresa Wright
Virginia Mayo
Cathy O'Donnell
Hoagy Carmichael
Harold Russell
Gladys George
Roman Bohnen

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.2

RATINGS 686 FANS

4.2

Jun 10, 2018

The best movie ever made?

822 Likes

Jordan Horowitz

Jan 29, 2020

william wyler was like "i'm gonna make a 3-hour film where every single scene is absolutely necessary and every frame is intentioned and it will make viewers feel every single emotion" and HE DID IT and i wept (8/10 from 1946)

827 Likes

nora

Nov 25, 2013

I'm struggling to think of what a contemporary equivalent of this would look like.... Something from Hollywood with A-list actors that confronts the emotional and psychological toll of war on fully realized characters while still working as masterfully filmed melodrama...…

716 Likes

laird
Jun 12, 2023

If this film were to be released today exactly as is, it would still sweep the damn Oscars. A powerful, moving, empathic look at the Greatest Generation and their struggles to re-assimilate into civilian life post-WWII, anchored by a deliberately paced script and…

616 Likes

Matt!

Mar 16, 2024

Damn, William Wyler, you didn't have to go so hard in that bedtime scene with Homer and Wilma. I was already almost in tears 20 minutes in when the three returning soldiers ended up at the same bar that first night back home. A 'they don't make 'em like they used to'…

412 Likes

Adam Kempenaar

Dec 24, 2020

a movie about fundamentally decent people who are having a tough time because some other fundamentally decent people can never understand what they've been through. where can I get more of this

337 Likes

Lauren Wilford
Nov 21, 2020

It’s a nice movie. Did I LOVE it as much as everyone else seems to? No, the story isn’t really my thing. But the movie is so impressive in its characters and scale. The acting is all around wonderful and I love Myrna Loy especially. This movie is really reminiscent of the…

220 Likes

Sam

Mar 26, 2019

Hi everybody, after I rewatched Mrs. Miniver a few weeks ago, I rewatched this wonderful masterpiece from William Wyler and it was worth every minute. The story about three WWII soldiers coming home and struggling, each one with his own problems, to fit in post war…

216 Likes

Two Cineasts

Sep 5, 2020

The Best Years of Our Lives is classical Hollywood at its finest. Here is a humanist film, with sympathies for the ordinary man. It comes from a point in time when society was transforming. The American economy and way of life was drastically affected by World War Two. This…

188 Likes

Darren Carver-Balsiger

Queue Community Reviews

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Top Reviews

Michael liked

The Best Years of Our Lives

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) stands as one of the most powerful and humanistic films to emerge from post-World War II American cinema. Directed by William Wyler and featuring a superb ensemble cast, the film follows three veterans—Fred, Al, and Homer—who return to their small town after the…

🔥 1 1Y

Meg loved

The Best Years of Our Lives

Best Picture Oscar winner 1947 (19th Academy Awards) My Rating: 8.5/10 Nominated for 10 Oscar’s and won 9. LOVED this movie and it’s one of my favorites from the 40’s. Harold Russell was my fave character and I would suggest reading his backstory. He is also won 2 Oscar’s on the same night.…

11M

TheGreatJRW is "meh" on

The Best Years of Our Lives

Der Film begleitet 3 US Soldaten kurz nach dem 2. Weltkrieg auf dem Weg nach Hause und ihr dortiges „neues“ Leben. Der Film ist aufgrund des Alters (1946) heute komplett aus der Zeit gefallen und ist mit fast 3h Laufzeit viel zu lang für die Story. Immerhin die Intention ist gut.

7M
Platypus Lord liked

The Best Years of Our Lives

Poignant story of the displacement caused by war & time, balanced expertly w/ humor & redemptive undercurrent. Fantastic direction & cast (Teresa Wright ❤️). A couple tweaks might have made the romance more satisfying. But it's masterful overall, as evocative as it is cheerful.

4M

CvptvinHowdy loved

The Best Years of Our Lives

I enjoyed every moment in this film and was fully invested in each character's journey. Just when I thought we didn't get much from Homer's character, the scene in the bedroom with Wilma happened, and that easily pulls on your heartstrings.

1Y

Mike loved

The Best Years of Our Lives

It’s not particularly great in any capacity but I like the characters and how they all have different lives now after coming home and they find a way to make it work. Interesting look at the logistics of aftermath of ww1 too.

1Y
Brianug liked

The Best Years of Our Lives

In between like and “meh” on this one. Solid story that felt very human and real. But it’s also kinda boring overall. Definitely different perspective of post WW2 so soon after it happened.

8M

Freddie A liked

The Best Years of Our Lives

This was a nice film, filled with real drama. Watching what happens to soldiers post WW2 was an interesting watch. The cast was great and I loved how the stories intertwined and ended

1Y

Mickerdoo loved

The Best Years of Our Lives

Heartbreaking but beautiful. You grow to care for the characters. The third act rewards. Changed men wishing to be treated like they hadn’t.

3Y