It’s A Wonderful Life — The Best Christmas Movie Ever
This movie can change your perspective on life for the better.
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My friend recommended this movie to me more than a decade ago when I was at the peak of pessimism in my life. After watching the movie, I felt like everything is alright with me, my life, and the world in general.
Even though the good feeling gradually dissipated over the next two weeks or so, it permanently shifted my perspective on life. Even though I had many more episodes of pessimism in my life, for various reasons, in the last decade, I felt more detached and more in control of my moods. Even when I had a few outbursts, the next day I felt normal and apologetic. Every few years or so I go back to this movie to align and anchor my perspective to be more grateful and positive in life. Even though I don’t talk to that friend anymore, due to our different worldviews, I still feel indebted to him for recommending this elixir-like movie to a purposeless pessimist movie buff like me.
Recently I heard that this movie was a flop at the box office and not much appreciated by the critics of that time (the late 1940s). However, this movie has matured like a fine wine over many decades and is perhaps much more relevant today. The feeling of being stuck in life due to our responsibilities while our friends, siblings, and peers go out into the world and become immensely successful, can easily torment a man in his mid-30s who was once a promising ambitious young man. This resonates with people much more today because every morning on social media apps (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), we see someone on a vacation with friends/family, achieving their personal goals, getting promoted, or switching to a better company for a better pay package. And while taking a dump when we scroll through our social media feeds, we lose the pressure of our bowel movement but accumulate the peer pressure caused by such information dumped on us. Since we go through this daily, we can easily relate to the anguish of George Bailey, the hero in the movie. This is why the movie succeeds. When George begins to appreciate his life, we begin to do that too. When he suffers, we also feel the pain, when he gets rewarded in the end for his selfless deeds and service to his community, we feel gratified.
In today’s digital age, where we are more connected virtually than physically or socially, this movie takes us back to simpler times. It is a good reminder of how essential our family, friends, and community is, to live a fulfilled life. It is a masterpiece designed to take you through various emotions of life and provide you with a life-changing perspective, much needed in today’s times. This movie also teaches that our life is much more valuable than we consider it to be and that no good deed goes unrewarded.
I recommend this movie, especially to those feeling dejected or borderline depressed. In my opinion, this movie shows what the miracle of Christmas should be, a miracle created by our own intentions and good deeds, supported by our community. This movie truly brings the joy of festivities in form of tears of joy and a heartfelt grin by the end of it.
You can celebrate this movie with your friends and family, on Amazon Prime.
