Critic Reviews

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Rank 3 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give It's a Wonderful Life (1946) a score of 3.5680 out of 4

based on (90) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(64)

Very Good

(23)

Good

(3)

Fair

(0)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

DVD Verdict (Barrie Maxwell)

With World War II winding down, director Frank Capra returned to Hollywood determined that for the rest of his career, he would be his own boss. His approach would be the formation of an independent production company called Liberty Films early in 1945. ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at DVD Verdict (Barrie Maxwell)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

The best and worst things that ever happened to "It's a Wonderful Life" are that it fell out of copyright protection and into the shadowy no-man's-land of the public domain. Because the movie is no longer under copyright, any television station that ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

This is one of those films that are absolutely perfect and timeless, like "Citizen Kane", "Casablanca", "Gone With the Wind", "The Wizard of Oz"... Well, according to the countdown of the 100 Greatest American flicks ever released by the AFI in ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)

Plugged In

A kind man, overwhelmed by life's trials, is visited by a heavenly messenger and gains a new lease on life. The synopsis of this week's Touched by an Angel? No, but it is the basis for Frank Capra's heartwarming 1946 holiday classic, It's a Wonderful ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Plugged In

Parent/Teacher Learning Guides at teachwithmovies.org

Set in upstate New York during the first half of the 20th century, "It's a Wonderful Life" tells the story of a young man who wanted to travel, have adventures, go to college, and be an architect in a big city. But George Baily's responsibilities to ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Parent/Teacher Learning Guides at teachwithmovies.org

Crazy for Cinema

Though I only saw this film all the way through for the first time a few years ago, it has become one of my all time favorites. A film to watch whenever I feel a little down about my life. I initially avoided it because I though it was going to be one of ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Crazy for Cinema

ScifiWatch

George Bailey is a man who has spent his entire life putting the needs of his friends and family above his own. Every time he tries to leave his small town of Bedford Falls in order to realize his dreams, something happens to keep him there. Now, on ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at ScifiWatch

Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

Frank Capra's classic bittersweet comedy/drama plays as a testament to the family values of small-town America just after WW11. The glossy studio production sets a warm Christmas card-like atmosphere in folksy Bedford Falls, where it focuses on the ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

Time Out (Geoff Andrew)

The only Yuletide favourite to pivot around an attempted suicide, Capra's post-war fable is a fascinating melange of social and personal impulses and the questionable charms of home. ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Time Out (Geoff Andrew)

Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)

Reissued to commemorate its 50th anniversary, this new print of Frank Capra's timeless classic is a full and utter joy to anyone who's only ever seen it on video. Up there where it belongs, the film has a life that hasn't been discovered by ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)

filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Sometimes we need sweetness, like when we've just eaten a ration of bitter Neil LaBute or Ridley Scott movies. ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)

It's a Wonderful Life tells the story of George Bailey (James Stewart). George had saved the life of his younger brother when they were kids and George had always dreamed of getting out of the small town of Bedford Falls to see the world. The early part ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)

The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

It isn't a terrible film by any means, and it's easy to see why people revere it. An ordinary man sees the life of adventure and travel he hoped for constantly thwarted but eventually learns to love the pleasant life he does have. Cherish what you ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

OK, raise your hand if you think Frank CapraÂ´s "ItÂ´s A Wonderful Life" is mushy, sentimental, over-praised hokum. Now, go to your room. Both of you. ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

Slant Magazine (Fernando F. Croce)

Without overlooking its lapses into populist bathos, it's necessary to rescue It's a Wonderful Life from its spot at the centerpiece of untouchable American "classics." ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Slant Magazine (Fernando F. Croce)

Movie Mirror (Sanderson Beck)

Frank Capra directed this masterpiece about a young man who reluctantly stays in his home town to run a business that helps people. In Bedford Falls people pray for George Bailey, and angels send down Clarence (Henry Travers) to help. The boy George ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Movie Mirror (Sanderson Beck)

Blogcritics - DVD review (Matt Paprocki)

Each year, the holidays become more of a burden for everyone. Running around for gifts that are out of stock, making the trip(s) to see family, and watching the checkbook all add up to a time of the year that many people loathe. George Bailey has a more ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Blogcritics - DVD review (Matt Paprocki)

DVD Clinic (Jason Adams)

IT'S A WONDEFUL LIFE may now have a clichÃ©d rep for being your archetypal feel-good holiday flick (I know I've poked fun at it in a couple reviews), but that's exactly what it is-the granddaddy of all Christmas movies. ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at DVD Clinic (Jason Adams)

BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)

The packaging is pleasing on the eye and incorporates a ten-page booklet with stills and short biographies of the stars. This 'Collector's Edition' is digitally remastered but unfortunately that is not enough. It's clear from the sound quality that ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)

Home Theater and Sound (Wes Marshall)

It's a Wonderful Life premiered on December 20, 1946. Frank Capra and James Stewart, who by that time had won four Oscars between them, considered it to be their best film. ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at Home Theater and Sound (Wes Marshall)

The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)

It's A Wonderful Life (1946), originally made for Liberty Films, is one of the most popular and heartwarming films ever made by director Frank Capra. It was actually a box-office flop at the time of its release, and only became the Christmas movie ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)

DVD MovieGuide

Like many people, I maintain a love/hate relationship with perennial holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life. On one hand, I dislike its oversentimentality and hokeyness and find it to offer an unrealistic portrait of a fantasy America that never really ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at DVD MovieGuide

DVD Net (Amy Flower)

It's a thought that surely most of us would have had skidding across our minds at some point in our lives. ...read the complete It's a Wonderful Life movie review at DVD Net (Amy Flower)