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 . 
probably the greatest " feel-good " film of all time , it's a wonderful life aims for the heart , and strikes with a golden arrow . 
on christmas eve , george bailey ( stewart ) is being prayed for by many in the small town of bedford falls . 
you see , george is in trouble , and he has always helped others who needed it . 
this one time , however , god answers his prayers , and sends down the lovable guardian angel clarence ( travers ) to try and save george . 
clarence has got his own problems , however . 
clarence is an angel without his wings , and each time the bell rings , the wings pass him by . 
the bailey case is a way for him to earn those magical wings and become a true angel . 
but before clarence can save george , he first has to go through a cliffs notes version of george bailey's life . 
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 . 
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 . 
one christmas , potter gets his chance . 
uncle billy bailey ( mitchell ) loses $8 , 000 of the bank's money . 
without the money , the bank must close down . 
george is stuck in a tremendous bind , and contemplates suicide . 
clarence , the faithful servant , is there just to pick him up , and to show him what bedford would be like without george . 
this is all a lead-in to the very famous last scene , where george finally sees what true happiness is about . 
it's a wonderful life does have its faults . 
the movie is beginning to feel dated in the details , especially in the treatment of women and men . 
the sex roles in the film are weirdly out of place in the 90's , like something out of a revisionist look . 
all the men drink too much and slap their wives too much during some portions of the film . 
there are , however , endearing moments in all of this . 
capra puts in just enough humor mocking the sex roles of the 50's to make the movie remarkably enjoyable . 
the story is hackneyed , and the ending feels , well , a little too sugarish . 
there's this uneasy feeling of sugar over everything , especially the sequences where george is either in trouble , or helping somebody . 
it's a little too nice for my liking , at times . 
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 . 
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 . 
capra does have his monumental cliches , but the actors relish them and overplay everything to perfection . 
donna reed is perfect as the loving , obeidient wife , and lionel barrymore is gloriously grump as mr . potter . 
everyone else is magnificent , including bert and ernie ( ward bond and frank faylen ) . 
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 . 
stewart , however , is the king of all of this . 
he is sometimes awkward , especially when saying " merry christmas " to all objects , animate or inanimate . 
but he is james stewart , and he's lovably delightful throughout the film . 
have i complained ? 
i shouldn't have . 
this is a really good movie . 
no , this is a great movie . 
better yet , this is a phenomenal movie . 
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 . 
this is one of those films . 
it is a " feel-good " movie , something people complain a little too much about . 
but capra's reworking of " a christmas carol " is the greatest christmas movie of all time . 
there , i've said it . 
i have to admit , the first time i saw this , i saw it with my family , including my 11 year old kid sister . 
they all loved it . 
they loved george , his wife , his troubles , and the beautiful ending . 
is it a little too sugar-coated ? 
maybe . 
no matter . 
this is a film that should be watched time and time again , with families around a coffee table , and eggnog on the plate . 
it is a film that just makes you feel good about life , family , and hope . 
it is the perfect christmas film , flaws and all . 
it is frank capra's greatest acheivement , and that really does say a lot . 
for about 121 out of 129 minutes , this movie is flawless . 
the rest can be excused : no film is perfectly flawless . 
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 . 
