You Can't Take it With You

Forget It's a Wonderful Life (we wish), THIS is THE greatest film collaboration of actor James Stewart and director Frank Capra. This is one of my favorite movies, it's very funny, and I love Lionel Barrymore's character of Grandpa Martin Vanderhof and his philosophies towards things like life and income taxes (or lack thereof) and Jean Arthur's commentary on people and fear, VERY ahead of its time considering it was made in 1938 and the things she says still hold relevant today. Has anybody else seen it? I highly recommend it to everybody, this is one of those movies that I think everybody ought to see.

Yeah, I caught it again when it was on last month. Made back in the day when "gay" still meant "happy". There's a scene at the end where the family is moving out and a young woman says to Lionel Barrymore something like, "Gee, Grandpa, it's sure going to be gay around here after you leave." She's being ironic. Someone on another board became confused by that and thought she meant something else.

Oh yes I remember that little debate on the board. LOL, that and somebody making a BIG fit over Ann Miller playing a married girl when she was only 15 because *Kevin Meaney voice* that's not right! I'd like to see how many people upon just seeing her in that movie could possibly have her pegged at 15 without having to check, she was convincing to me. And I loved her in that movie, I love it when they're all in jail and she asks her sister 'shall I sock her, Alice?' NOT what you'd expect from the little Pavlova!

This is a great movie! It must be at least 2 or 3 years since I've seen it, but I remember it was hilarious. You really can't go wrong with either Jean Arthur, Jimmy Stewart or Lionel Barrymore for that matter. I do have to disagree on one tiny matter though. I have to say "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is the greatest Capra/Stewart collaboration, in my opinion.

Either way they still beat out It's a Wonderful Life, why people think that's such a great movie I'll never know.

But yes, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is also another great collaboration between the two greats, Capra and Stewart, but of all his movies I've seen, I have to list You Can't take it With You as my absolute favorite.

Supernova wrote:Either way they still beat out It's a Wonderful Life

I agree. I've never understood the appeal of that movie. I first attempted to watch it about three years ago because I had (and still have) a slight crush on Jimmy Stewart. I never even made it all the way through the movie, not even for Jimmy, lol.

I watched it once I think 4 or 5 or maybe 6 years ago, and that was enough for me. The ending is good but everything leading up to it is just...I don't know, and I also don't know how anybody EVER got away with making a marathon out of it at Christmas, whose life is so boring they're actually going to make an event out of seeing it every year?

I know what you mean! That's on every goddamned year. I suppose it is a tradition for some families, though. You're lucky, I didn't even make it to the ending, I was like "This is not a wonderful life."

Nope, nope, nope, NOT a Wonderful Life, a wonderful end though. For me that was the only part of the movie that was really worthwhile. Though something interesting I read, for the scene where Clarence falls into the icy water and Jimmy has to pull him out, that was supposed to be set at Christmas Eve but it was actually 90 degrees when they did that scene.