Mildly Amusing Though Mostly Unimaginative
Though this film is considered a classic and is billed as one of the top 100 films produced within the last 100 years by the American Film Institute, I find very little here to entice the younger viewer. Children enjoy the bright, vibrant colors of an animated story, though this movie was filmed in black and white making it appear dull and boring. It is void of cartoon-like characters that fly through the sky with rocket-propelled shoes, strange looking creatures that speak in high, unintelligible voices, and objects that transform into something else, all of which pique the interest of our younger generation.
This film does nothing to encourage the imagination, which will do nothing but put your
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It has a storyline that it reminiscent of the struggles we have faced in our lifetime. It addresses family issues, financial struggles, the tragedy of losing a loved one, and small-town life.
George Bailey is a self-sacrificing, family man. In one of the first scenes, George and his brother Harry are ice skating on a pond, when Harry breaks through the ice. George risks his own life to save Harry from an icy death and in turn catches a bad cold and loses the hearing in one of his ears. Later in the film, George has plans to travel the world with money he had saved over the years, though is forced to cancel his plans because of his fathers death, and feels obligated to take over the building and loan his father owned. Similarly, he has plans to use the money to attend college once Harry returns from college, only to find that Harry has other plans, so George must continue running the building and loan. Then, after getting married to Mary, his childhood sweetheart, he cancels their honeymoon at the last minute and uses the money to keep the business open. When an $8000 deposit is misplaced by uncle Billy, George must sacrifice his dignity and pride by asking Mr. Potter, the wicked and mean owner of another bank in town for