it just isn't funny. i thought it was agonizing to sit thru. usually capra keeps his films to 90 minutes, but this felt like three hours with some of the most unappealing and uninteresting people you can possibly imagine.
shareAh go blow it out your tubenburbles, it's a good movie, good cast, good characters. What we need are more Martin Vanderhofs and Paul and Penny Sycamores, Mr. Poppins, Essie and Ed Carmichaels, and Tony Kirbys in this world.
shareFunny you should say that, I feel just the opposite. I find most of FC's other films schmaltzy beyond belief, yet this film seemed to have one eyebrow raised--which I like. (Alothough I wouldn't go so far as to say [hate Capra.)
I find Mr. Smith Goes to Washington unbearably wholesome, and all the things I liked about Stewart in YCTIWY completely absent in It's a Wonderful Life. (Even the way he says the name "Mary" grates on me like fingernails on a chalkboard. That, combined with his allowing Cary Grant to completely overact in Arsenic and Old Lace. (Grant himself stated it about his performance.)
So the fact that the OP actually likes Capra at his most drippy and schamltzy shows you his/her taste--no wonder he/she doesn't like the one film in which Capra got it right!
P.S. The man directed the great Barbara Stanwyck in 5 films, and only one of them is still well-known today (Meet John Doe--with schmaltzy ending, natch). That says it all.
"Well, for once the rich white man is in control!" C. M. Burns
I hate to say it but I have to agree that the rest of Capra's films were not all gold. Now I LOVE Mr. smith goes to Washington, the one I can't stand is It's a Wonderful Life, I love the end of it where he's running around screaming MERRY CHRISTMAS MOVIE HOUSE! but that's about all I can stand about the movie. Now, I LOVE Jimmy Stewart in this movie but not so much as I love the Vanderhof family, they're the perfect family if ever one did exist.
shareWhoa, whoa, whoa. I think that's an unfair statement. Personally, Frank Capra is my favorite director, and I pretty much love all of his films, ESPECIALLY It's a Wonderful Life. And that includes You Can't Take it With You. So I'll ask you this: am I supposed to be smart, or one with bad taste, eh?
Whatever Grant may have said about his performance in Arsenic and Old Lace, I'll never think his acting was as overdone as it was in Bringing Up Baby. That actor was screaming, "Susan!" every five damn minutes of that bloody movie!
Nothing wrong with directing an actress in several movies, with one of them becoming remarkably famous. I'm pretty certain that can be said of MANY actors/directors.
And... that's my say.
http://darciebennett.blogspot.com/
Cary Grant overdoing it in "Bringing Up Baby"??? Good Lord. I think that's one of the greatest comedic performances in movie history. Every inflection is a masterpiece of timing. As for "You Can't Take It With You," I think its pretty much mid-level Capra, not unwatchable but not that interesting either. Like "Arsenic and Old Lace" it's a stage play rather stiffly adapted to film. The only thing that keeps it visually alive is Ann Miller dancing around. If you took her out of the movie it would be a really tough slog. Meanwhile, I saw "American Madness" the other day and I thought it was phenomenal. One of the best movies he ever directed. And talk about relevant to today!
shareAgain, I wasn't a fan of his complaining in every other scene. And I love Cary Grant, believe me. I just prefer him, however, in movies such as My Favorite Wife and An Affair to Remember. That's the Cary Grant I love.
I won't argue about Arsenic and Old Lace, except to say that I still do prefer it to Bringing Up Baby. Personal preference; to each his own. (Hey, I don't like Citizen Kane, and I'm not the biggest fan of The Godfather, either. Some people would argue me on those points, and I'm ready for that discourse.) But I respect your opinion.
I have not yet seen American Madness, but I'm putting it on my to-watch list!
http://darciebennett.blogspot.com/
i agree with you. this movie was horribly overrated and the family in this was just plain annoying. free spirits are one thing, these guys are just not fun to watch. i don't like capra really except for two movies, and this was definitely not one of the ones that i liked.
"for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?"
If free spirits are one thing, what are the Sycamores? They spend the whole day every day doing exactly what they want. We should all be so lucky.
shareAgreeing with the opening post. Love "John Doe," "Mr. Smith," "Bitter Tea," "Wonderful Life," "Pocket Full of Miracles."
Don't much care for this movie.
Strikes me as fey and forced, how rich and privileged people would romanticize poverty and "free spirit" lifestyles.
Don't like the Jimmy Stewart / Jean Arthur subplot here, which is a shame, because around this same time, in other movies, they were really hot with other people: Stewart in "Shop," Arthur in "Mr. Deeds."
There's just an artificiality about this film that I can't stand.
I revisted this movie after seeing 10 years ago, and while I still love some parts and laugh, it doesn't seem to hold up as well as other movies around that time.
I also did not like the scenes with Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur. I found the dialogue almost nauseating, and as Danusha calls it, "artificial." I'd expected better since the play won a Pulizter Prize. I also would recommend The Shop Around the Corner for a higher level of dialogue.
However, there are still some genuinely great moments, and while the ending may be contrived and a little corny, it still manages to move me. I loved Lionel Barrymore's performance.
This is coming from someone who loves the play YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. I have directed it once, and have played three different characters in three different productions. It is a goal of mine to play all of the other male roles, with the exception of Tony, since I am growing too old for that part.
The first time I saw this film, I hated it! I thought it was a poor adaptation of the play. However, the second time I watched it, ten years and two stage productions later, I found a lot in the movie to like. In the play, Tony describes the Sycamores as "a family that loves and understands each other." I think that was shown. The whole Sycamore bunch,including Mr. DePinna, Mr. Poppins, the maid Rheba, her boyfriend Donald, and the Russian Mr. Kolenkov, were truly a family, and one that would accept YOU and your hobbies and beliefs as one of them.
That is the whole message of the play. Love, family, and friends are what you will always have with you. It doesn't matter how much money you make -- you can never take that to the other side when you die. Love, however, can follow you. This is a message that goes back to the medieval religious play of EVERYMAN. The idea is the same.
One final note: Audiences loved this film when it was released -- And it won the Academy Award for Best Picture, an accomplishment since comedies rarely win Best Picture. Are you saying that we today are more advanced than audiences of 1938? I hardly think so.
This movie was so unbearable for me. The only part that I cared for was the part which read "The End".
I love this movie. I love Barrymore, Byington, Meek, and all the performances. There is such an innocence and joie d'vivre in the Vanderhoff/Sycamore household. I don't tire of watching it, and it's shame a movie such as this would not stand a chance of being produced today.
That just goes to show you. You go someplace and there you are.
Yeah, this film is pretty dull and uneven overall.
The scenes with Stewart and Arthur are wonderfully touching. Barrymore is great as ever. The young prancing Ann Miller is annoying as hell. ("STOP IT!! Stop that leaping about! Stop it please!!")
Not Capra's best; and about 30 minutes too long also.
6/10