
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a wonderful laugh! It's a wonderful love!
1946 • 131 min • Drama · Family · Fantasy
Synopsis
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
Our family guide
Best from age 8- 100 Reviewers · 6 · 69%
- 83 Audience · 4980 · 31%
An angel shows a despairing businessman the profound impact he
- Violence & peril
- 2/10
- Language
- 1/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 2/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 1/10
- Scary moments
- 3/10
Heads up
- A character contemplates suicide
- Moments of intense emotional despair
- Characters drink alcohol in several scenes
- A character is verbally abusive
What it models well
- The value of community and helping others
- Everyone
- The power of family love
- Appreciating what you have
Talk about it after
- The importance of community support and lending a hand
- How actions, big or small, affect others
- Finding hope and gratitude even in hard times
- Why asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for It's a Wonderful Life. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
Stream
- Amazon Prime Video
- Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Free
- Hoopla
- Fawesome
Rent
- JustWatch TV
- Amazon Video
- Apple TV Store
- Google Play Movies
- YouTube
- Fandango At Home
Buy
- Amazon Video
- Apple TV Store
- Google Play Movies
- YouTube
- Fandango At Home
Links go straight to each service. Some are affiliate links that support Movie Knight at no cost to you. Availability data by JustWatch via TMDB.
Top billed cast
Director: Frank Capra • Crew: Frank Capra, Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich
Trailers & clips
George Bailey Confesses His Love for Mary
"A Christmas Miracle" Full Scene
"Never Been Born" Clip
TCM: It's A Wonderful Life 75th Anniversary | The People of Bedford Falls
TCM 75th Anniversary Spot
Every Time A Bell Rings Clip
Reunion Clip
Paramount Movies Trailer
Reviewer notes
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersIt's a timeless and great film for everyone, straightforwardly telling us that life is worth living and a good deed is never lost. Frank Capra's films always remind me the world is not so bad. He shows us there is no need to beat or convince evil people to change. You will still have people helping you not from a sense of obligation but from a genuine willingness as long as you are kind and honest with them. In...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersI am not one of those snobs that thinks Black and White is always better... but don't watch the colored version of it, there is something about it that just doesn't look right. Maybe it's because the colors are off, maybe because I'm not as used to it, but something doesn't sit right with it. Anyway, still the best Christmas movie ever made. It's still about redemption. It's still heartwarming and family fri...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersEvery now and again you come across a film that just makes you think.... This is one of those. Recently upconverted to 4K and back on a big screen, it's quite simply a joy to watch. Jimmy Stewart is "George" - a man who has spent his adult life tirelessly trying to help those less fortunate to make their own way in life - and his savings and loan enterprise is the lifeline for many of them. When that all goes pear...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersLovely film. <em>'It’s a Wonderful Life'</em> is enjoyable, hearty and well crafted. It takes longer than I would've predicted to get to 'the event', but it's very much worth seeing the journey that comes before - as we see the arc of James Stewart's George. It all crescendos with an ending that you can't help but smile at. Stewart is excellent in the lead role, you really do see every single emotion that hi...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersOh my goodness, I am not going to spend much time describing this gold standard of Christmas movies. If you have seen it, you know what it is. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and watch it now. It is funny, tense, sentimental, romantic and downright Capra-esque. I have liked Jimmy Stewart in everything I have seen him in. Was he that good, or did the camera just plain love him, like I heard said once a...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersIt's practically an American tradition to watch this film with family at Christmas time each year. I just saw it for the first time myself a couple weeks before last Christmas, and I loved it. It's an uplifting, inspiring, dramatic, and at times laugh-out-loud funny story, with a cast that probably couldn't be improved upon if you tried. And, of course, it's directed by the superb Frank Capra, whose work I grea...
Fan reviews
Sign in to rate and reviewBe the first fan to review this.
Gallery
Details
- TMDB audience
- 8.3/10 (4,980)
- Age rating
- PG
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $3,180,000
- Box office
- $9,644,124
- IMDb
- tt0038650

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Hoopla
Fawesome
JustWatch TV
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home




















