It's a Wonderful Life
An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman see the value of his own life.
Directed by Frank Capra · Drama · Family · Fantasy · 130 min · 1947
Trailer
Director
Frank Capra
Studio
Liberty Films
Release
07 Jan 1947
Runtime
130 min
Genres
Drama, Family, Fantasy
Full Plot
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his wings. He shows George what things would have been like if he had never been born.
Cast & Characters
George Bailey
James Stewart
Mary Hatch Bailey
Donna Reed
Mr. Potter
Lionel Barrymore
Uncle Billy
Thomas Mitchell
Clarence
Henry Travers
Pa Bailey
Samuel S. Hinds
Mrs. Bailey
Beulah Bondi
Harry Bailey
Todd Karns
Ernie
Frank Faylen
Bert
Ward Bond
Violet Bick
Gloria Grahame
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $3.2M, It's a Wonderful Life has grossed $9.6M worldwide — about 3.0x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
James Stewart appears in 4 films in our catalog, including Vertigo, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
It's a Wonderful Life
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that the original story "The Greatest Gift" was written by Philip Van Doren Stern in November 1939?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that the film's final screenplay was credited to Goodrich, Hackett, and Capra, with "additional scenes" by Jo Swerling?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
It's a Wonderful Life holds 8.6/10 on IMDb (552,062 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 89/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of August 11, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.6/10 on IMDb (552,062 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 89/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is It's a Wonderful Life's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
It's a Wonderful Life holds a 94% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is It's a Wonderful Life's IMDb rating?+
It's a Wonderful Life has a 8.6/10 rating on IMDb from 552,062 votes.
What is It's a Wonderful Life's Metacritic score?+
It's a Wonderful Life has a Metascore of 89/100 on Metacritic.
Is It's a Wonderful Life good? What are critics saying?+
It's a Wonderful Life holds 8.6/10 on IMDb (552,062 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 89/100 on Metacritic.
How long is It's a Wonderful Life?+
It's a Wonderful Life has a runtime of 130 min.
Who directed It's a Wonderful Life?+
It's a Wonderful Life was directed by Frank Capra.
Where can I watch It's a Wonderful Life?+
It's a Wonderful Life is available to stream, rent, or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "It's a Wonderful Life" is overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing admiration for the film's timeless themes and nostalgic charm. Many reviewers describe it as an "American tradition," while others have praised its uplifting and inspiring story, humor, and dramatic moments.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
It'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…
barrymost · 10/10Oh 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 l…
Peter McGinn · 9/10Lovely 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 wit…
r96sk · 8/10Every 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 les…
CinemaSerf · 8/10I 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 r…
GenerationofSwine · 10/10It'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…
aochin · 9/10
From the trailer's comments
I want to thanks everyone who help in making of this masterpiece own my life to this thank you so much gratitude 🙏🏻❤️
@TheAhmadShow717 · 4 likesTruly a masterpiece!
@Kedar4real · 6 likesThe scene with Mary and George in Mary's mother's house is not from the movie. Jimmy emphasizes the last "do" in this take rather than the word "I" (from the movie).
@j.lawtonschloat4977 · 2 likesI just got back from Target not that long ago. I also went out and bought It's a wonderful Life dvd box set. This includes the black-and-white and the color version of the movie, 2 disc set for only $13.00 not bad, if I say so myself.
@shawneldridge4465 · 4 likesIt's a Beautiful life!
@ninacleveland · 5 likesEvery time a bell rings..... It wakes me up!
@itiswhatitaintanditaintwha1427 · 0 likesGreat film.
@HarrisonInstruments · 3 likesIt's a wondeful life, in fact! 🥺😢😭🎄🎆
@stephenhickey5834 · 1 likes
