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| A distraught George Bailey (James Stewart) pleads for help from Mr. Potter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
At this point, I have to quote The Movie Waffler, Eric Hillis, who writes, "So, what makes a perfect Christmas movie? The evidence would suggest it should be at least three hours long, a flop on its original release and terrifying for children. A 180 minutes extended cut of Willy Wonka sounds just right."
Oh, those terrifying oompah-loompahs! He has a point-- but only insofar as really superficial qualities that seem to correlate to success. Obviously, I'm not the only person writing about the genre this year (or any other), and any characteristics I come up with are open to challenges, but I'm going to take a stab at it.
1. It must be set during the holiday season.
2. The traditional Christmas ideals and values must underlie the plot and theme, with the aim of encouraging viewers to be better people and care more about their fellow humans.
3. It must, at some point, be heartwarming.
4. It must have a happy ending that satisfies.
That's not a lot, but It's a Wonderful Life only meets number 1 completely, with a possibility of number 3 for some viewers (not me). In contrast, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon qualify for 1, 3, and 4, and they are generally considered NOT to be Christmas movies (because of no. 2). In fact, the point of IaWL seems to be that George has a disappointing life because he is a good person, which certainly doesn't encourage good behavior -- Mr. Potter's only disappointment in life is that he hasn't managed to shut George down. Otherwise, his life -- even with whatever caused his disability -- appears to have been just ducky.
IaWL is about a man who wants to kill himself because he is going to go to prison for a crime he did not commit and thinks that his family would be happier without him and with his life insurance. Lethal Weapon is about a man who wants to kill himself because his beloved wife died. So, George has less reason for suicide, yet it takes an angel to stop him. Martin Riggs, on the other hand, wants to die because of love, but he manages to find the strength to go on without divine intervention. Isn't he a better role model for people in despair?
But that's beside my main point. The real problem for me is number 4: It must have a happy ending that satisfies. This is where IaWL completely drops out of any list, or should. (and this is also where I really wish I could lay my hands on Rebbie's copy of Connie Willis's "Miracle" -- she does a terrific job of explaining this). Not only does the ending drip enough sap for a maple forest, GEORGE IS STILL GOING TO JAIL! As Willis notes, giving back the money does not solve the problem: the missing money is a known fact, and even if the police don't want to prosecute, they will, and not just because Potter has the power to insist that the charges be pressed. Is the town going to support his family while he's away? How is he going to feel about that? Suicidal again? Are there angels in training lining up to save him every time something bad happens?
And the capper: POTTER GETS AWAY WITH IT! And with the $8000, to boot, which should ease his pain until George goes to jail and the business fails. What kind of a Christmas movie lets a really evil villain off the hook? Only the folks at SNL had the guts to produce a good ending for the film (sadly, it's impossible to find at the moment, but you might enjoy Jimmy Kimmel's take on IaWL as presented by Fox News).
I want to finish by putting It's a Wonderful Life in another category altogether. It belongs on any list of good films that are hard to watch a second time. Once you realize that George is going to jail and Potter will triumph, the rest of the film leading up to the hokey, misleading ending feels like someone is trying to beat you to death with the irony stick.
So, merry Christmas, and you might to watch some real Christmas movies, like Miracle on 34th Street, Heidi (the Shirley Temple version, please), The Bishop's Wife, or your pick for the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
