--- title: "It's a Wonderful Life: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # It's a Wonderful Life (1946): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Capra’s blend of small-town sentiment and despair, with praise clustering around James Stewart’s performance as George Bailey. The reviews find both warmth and anxiety in his portrayal of a man whose obligations repeatedly frustrate his ambitions; several stress that the film is darker than its festive reputation suggests. Capra’s storytelling also draws approval for making potentially hokey material affecting, while the supporting cast, photography and score receive praise. The main dividing line is sentimentality: most critics find it sincere or earned by the bleakness surrounding it, though even sympathetic accounts acknowledge a risk of bathos. The spread is broad chiefly because of The New Yorker’s dissenting contemporary review, which finds the whimsy infantilising and the guardian angel material cloying, while allowing Stewart occasional moments of honest acting. Elsewhere, the differences concern emphasis, from comforting seasonal entertainment to a troubling account of compromise, class and disappointed hopes. ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The review celebrates Capra's 1946 festive fairy tale as one of the most watchable movie classics, orchestrated with consummate mastery through laughs, sentiment and charm. It singles out James Stewart's instantly loveable performance as the small-town dreamer who sacrifices everything for others. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wonderful-life-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Fernando F. Croce Rating 3.5/4. 16 November 2007. The film must be rescued from uncritical classic status, as its postwar balance of hope and despair, Stewart's underlying anxiety, and the precariousness of its idyll reveal a nightmare close to the American Dream. Capra's populism and the climactic affirmation provide catharsis, though the material risks bathos that Stewart's performance helps mitigate. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/its-a-wonderful-life/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2018. The critic highlights the film's ongoing relevance to issues like housing shortages and class struggles against greedy plutocrats, noting its mixed original reception but enduring popularity via television. They single out George's brutal, despairing bar scene as the most powerful moment before his redemption. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/14/its-a-wonderful-life-review-frank-capra-christmas-rerelease) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2007. The review hails the film as the all-time great Christmas movie that is beautifully photographed and emotionally strong. It singles out Capra's bittersweet take on Christmas, the script and Stewart's perfect performance for making an unrivalled classic. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/its-a-wonderful-life-review/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The review calls the film a sincere and ultimately affecting classic that can be seen again and again. It singles out the homespun sentiment and the story's resonance around Christmas time. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/truly-wonderful-7402135.html) ## The AV Club — Emily St. James Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2012. The film shows the unending cost of being good, with George Bailey repeatedly sacrificing his dreams only to become more trapped in a small-town hell of compromise and frustration. It is far darker than its reputation, a post-WWII artifact of melancholy whose fantasy sequence and ending provide intense catharsis after bleak horror. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/it-s-a-wonderful-life-shows-the-unending-cost-of-being-1798235298) ## The New Yorker — John McCarten Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 1946. The review finds the film overly whimsical and mincing, with characters behaving like pixies, though it occasionally allows for honest acting from Stewart. The guardian angel subplot and overall sentimentality border on baby talk. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/12/21/1946-12-21-087-tny-cards-000018487) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff 6 December 2014. The film is wonderful entertainment marked by Capra's tremendous heart and distinctively human storytelling. Performances from Stewart, Reed, and the supporting cast are magnificent, supported by a superb score, photography, and small-town atmosphere. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/a-wonderful-life-review-1946-movie-754681/) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther 23 December 1946. The critic praises Capra's return to portraying simple, homely worth and the idea that family, friends, and honest toil make for a wonderful life. Stewart gives a warmly appealing performance, with strong support from the ensemble cast. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/movies/its-a-wonderful-life-review.html) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Rating 5 out of 5 stars. 10 December 2007. The post-war fable is a fascinating exploration of social and personal impulses and the questionable charms of home. James Stewart gives an impeccable performance as George Bailey, whose dreams are deferred by family and national demands, with the film’s bravura fantasy sequence making a strong case for individual agency. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/its-a-wonderful-life) ## Variety — Bert Briller 18 December 1946. The film is wholesome, humanistic entertainment that will succeed at the box office, with Capra and Stewart at the peak of their craft in crafting engaging, forthright storytelling from potentially hokey material. The recounting of the hero's life is tender and natural, bolstered by strong supporting performances. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1946/film/reviews/it-s-a-wonderful-life-1200414860/) ## HeyUGuys — Natalie Holmes Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2011. The critic praises the film as near perfection and an enduring Christmas tradition, despite its dark themes of despair and suicide. They single out James Stewart's authentic, relatable performance as George Bailey, who sacrifices his dreams for others, for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/heyuguys-retrospective-it%E2%80%99s-a-wonderful-life-1946/) ## The Skinny — Cara McGuigan Rating 4/5. 7 December 2007. The critic calls the film the granddaddy of seasonal movies and a timeless classic whose hard-edged story of disappointment and redemption makes its feel-good ending all the more powerful. They single out the bleak early stretches showing how George Bailey’s dreams are repeatedly stolen for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/its-a-wonderful-life) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life.md