Michael Graham slams It’s a Wonderful Life as “one of the most beloved holiday movies ever made. And one of the very worst:”
And, of course, Clarence is right, but how is that wonderful for George? Sure, his neighbors all bust their piggy banks to help out, but in the end George is still stuck in Bedford Falls, his friends are out their savings . . . and Potter still has the 8 grand! You call this “wonderful?”
You want to see a wonderful life? Forget Bedford Falls with George Bailey. Show me George Bailey without Bedford Falls.
Show me George in his New York penthouse, with that hottie Violet dressed to the nines, talking about the new dam he’s building in Central America, bringing power to an entire country. Show me his plans for a big-city skyscraper that will house thousands.
Show me the great life of George Bailey at his unfettered best, with a family safe and prosperous thanks to the wealth he’s earned making the world a better place for the most people. Now that is a wonderful life.
That was the story featured in the lesser-known remake made just a few years later starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. Killer production design and story arc, but the dialogue was more than a little sketchy at times.
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