OPINION:
George Bailey’s life story in the 1946 classic “It’s A Wonderful Life,” reminds us that our impact and influence may be greater than we know. “Home Alone,” the 1990 Christmas comedy classic, features plenty of bonks to the head … and some nice messages about family love while “Miracle on 34th Street” is as clean as you’d expect for a 1947 film, but it still has some provocative elements.
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It’s A Wonderful Life – Streaming on Amazon Prime, Sling TV, The Roku Channel
When I was growing up, my best friend’s dad had a saying, one I think about to this day: “Perspective is the key.” And it’s true. How we see our life — the good, the bad, the opportunities, the disappointments, and the people around us — can make all the difference.
In Frank Capra’s classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey loses perspective. In fact, his ability to see his life clearly gets so warped by his difficult circumstances that he can’t see a way forward.
The gift that Clarence the angel bestows upon his human charge is that of clarity, of perspective. When George Bailey finally sees the value of his life clearly — especially the impact his character has had on those around him — it transforms him. And the fruit of that transformation is renewed hope.
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One could perhaps argue that the story’s neatly wrapped-up “happily ever after” ending feels a bit too pat. But I think that’s being too churlish. The ending here is certainly the old-school Hollywood variety. But it also demonstrates that we reap what we sow: Just as George has been generous in his time of need, we see that others are willing to help him, too.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” winsomely challenges us, as viewers, to consider our own lives, to ponder what distorts our perspectives. And Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed (who plays Mary) are simply a delight to watch onscreen — especially if you’ve never experienced their charming chemistry before (as, I confess, I hadn’t.)
Content-wise, “It’s a Wonderful Life” hails from a different time and reflects that moment in culture in its portrayal of smoking and drinking. There’s perhaps a bit more content here than one might expect or remember, but none of it feels hugely problematic viewed from a 21st-century perspective.
That said, the subject of suicide is front and center here. We know, of course, that this story ultimately doesn’t go that way. But before Clarence arrives to redirect his path, George does some perilously close to making that choice — something to keep in mind if that topic is a sensitive one for anyone in your family.
All in all, this classic holds up. Younger viewers might not immediately engage with a black-and-white movie that moves more slowly than we’re accustomed. But if you give it some time and hang in there, your family might just embrace this story’s delightful old-fashioned charm as well as its powerful reminder that, indeed, “Perspective is the key.”
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Home Alone (1990) – Streaming on Disney+, Starz, Hulu, Amazon Prime
“I made my family disappear,” Kevin McCallister says with a smirk.
Perhaps you’ve had moments in your life when understood exactly how Kevin felt. Something like this: Finally. No more family drama, cruel words or overbearing rules.
But if there’s one thing this 1990 classic teaches us, it’s that families are critically important — no matter how much we might disagree with that sentiment in those moments of anger and strife. Even though having annoying relatives might require enduring such moments, Home Alone ultimately shows how a family truly rooted in love will forgive and endure all things.
Much of what you’ll need to endure in “Home Alone,” however, is all that comedic violence. At times, the painful shenanigans we witness can feel cringe-inducing. Still, I wonder if the deepest wounds Marv and Harry will carry after their failed siege of Kevin’s house are the bruises to their egos.
On top of that, you’ll hear some mild profanity, too. Still, if you are in the mood for a Joe Pesci film, “Home Alone” is the tamest you’ll find.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – Streaming on Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime, AMC+
“Faith means believing in things even when common sense tells you not to.”
So says Fred Gaily, trying to encourage Doris, the woman he loves, to loosen up a little. To believe in Santa Claus. To believe in Fred Gaily. To believe the world can be a pretty wonderful place if you just squint a little.
It’s a fitting sentiment for such a sentimental movie, one that plucks and tugs at many a heartstring and asks us all to believe.
On that sentimental level, “Miracle on 34th Street” works, absolutely. It is a funny, charming, encouraging and even inspirational film — a holiday classic for good reason. If you’re on board with a little love for Santa Claus come Christmas (and you can navigate a few jokes predicated on drinking), this story could and perhaps should have a place on your holiday shelf. This is a film that encourages us to cast off our “common sense”—as we do with Christmas itself, perhaps—and to embrace it fully and without criticism.
But if we go a bit deeper, let’s be honest: This story comes with a few issues worth examining and, potentially, talking through with your kids. Fred’s statement above is exhibit A.
Faith — faith in God, Santa or anything else — shouldn’t be a matter of scrapping your common sense. It isn’t about closing your eyes to the world. Faith and belief walk with reason. And while reason will only get you so far, faith doesn’t—or shouldn’t—work against it.
An old pastor of mine used to illustrate faith by using a chair: You ultimately sit in it because you have faith that it’ll hold you up. Now, if the chair was missing two legs or made of cooked spaghetti, your common sense might whisper, “Yeah, I don’t think I’d sit there if I were you.” If you would take Fred Gaily at his word and scrap common sense altogether, you just might sit in that spaghetti chair and discover your faith—and your rear end—were misplaced.
“Miracle on 34th Street” understands this, even if Fred does not. Why, the whole thing is predicated on whether our characters’ faith in Kris Kringle is justified. Every character studies the guy like my pastor’s chair—tugging on his beard, testing his sanity, judging his character.
But reason and common sense can only take you so far. Even if a chair looks solid, it still takes a measure of faith to plop yourself down in it. Eventually, you must believe. You must make that leap.
And in this message, the film works beautifully.
Kris is indeed a man of mystery, as I said at the outset—and he remains so throughout the film. We’re not given incontrovertible proof of anything. Is he truly Santa Claus? Or is he simply an embodiment of those “lovely intangibles” of imagination, kindness, charity and (dare we say it) the Christmas spirit?
We’re left with an appreciation of those lovely intangibles—the elements in our lives that don’t abandon reason, but go beyond it.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Reviews written by Paul Asay, Adam Holz and Kennedy Unthank.
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