The Best Years of Our Lives
Three traumatized or physically disabled World War II veterans return home to the American Midwest to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed making readjustment difficult.
Directed by William Wyler · Drama · Romance · War · 170 min · 1947
Trailer
Director
William Wyler
Studio
Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Release
29 May 1947
Runtime
170 min
Genres
Drama, Romance, War
Full Plot
The story concentrates on the social re-adjustment of three World War II servicemen, each from a different station of society. Al Stephenson returns to an influential banking position, but finds it hard to reconcile his loyalties to ex-servicemen with new commercial realities. Fred Derry is an ordinary working man who finds it difficult to hold down a job or pick up the threads of his marriage. Having had both hands burnt off during the war, Homer Parrish is unsure that his fiancée's feelings are still those of love and not those of pity. Each of the veterans faces a crisis upon his arrival, and each crisis is a microcosm of the experiences of many American warriors who found an alien world awaiting them when they came marching home.
Cast & Characters
Milly Stephenson
Myrna Loy
Captain Fred Derry
Dana Andrews
Technical Sergeant Al Stephenson
Fredric March
Peggy Stephenson
Teresa Wright
Marie Derry
Virginia Mayo
Wilma Cameron
Cathy O'Donnell
Butch Engle, Homer's uncle
Hoagy Carmichael
Petty Officer 2nd Class Homer Parrish
Harold Russell
Hortense Derry
Gladys George
Pat Derry
Roman Bohnen
Mr. Milton
Ray Collins
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $2.1M, The Best Years of Our Lives has grossed $23.6M worldwide — about 11.3x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
The Best Years of Our Lives
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that Samuel Goldwyn was inspired to produce a film about veterans after reading an article about the difficulties experienced by men returning to civilian life.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that director William Wyler worked hard to get accurate depictions of combat veterans, having flown combat missions himself in filming Memphis Belle.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
The Best Years of Our Lives holds 8.1/10 on IMDb (77,032 votes), 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, 93/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of July 30, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.1/10 on IMDb (77,032 votes), 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, 93/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Best Years of Our Lives's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
The Best Years of Our Lives holds a 97% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is The Best Years of Our Lives's IMDb rating?+
The Best Years of Our Lives has a 8.1/10 rating on IMDb from 77,032 votes.
What is The Best Years of Our Lives's Metacritic score?+
The Best Years of Our Lives has a Metascore of 93/100 on Metacritic.
Is The Best Years of Our Lives good? What are critics saying?+
The Best Years of Our Lives holds 8.1/10 on IMDb (77,032 votes), 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, 93/100 on Metacritic.
How long is The Best Years of Our Lives?+
The Best Years of Our Lives has a runtime of 170 min.
Who directed The Best Years of Our Lives?+
The Best Years of Our Lives was directed by William Wyler.
Where can I watch The Best Years of Our Lives?+
The Best Years of Our Lives is available to stream, rent, or buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "The Best Years of Our Lives" has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the film's storytelling, character development, and emotional depth. Reviewers have noted the film's historical significance and its ability to resonate with audiences. The movie has won numerous awards, including eight Academy Awards.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
Another great Willy Wyler movie. The story, with time, is quite expectable but the characters are well defined and developed by the cast. Also, it is a good (and probably, too positive) review of the after WWII war lives of the US veterans. A must to be seen.
Andres Gomez · 8/10This is really quite a touching story, recounting the experiences of three American veterans of WWII who return home and have to adapt to their new, not always welcoming, circumstances. Frederic March is "Al" who returns to a senior position in a bank - responsible for helping ot…
CinemaSerf · 7/10
From the trailer's comments
My favorite film . No shoot outs / car chases / over the top special effects / Just a superb story with characters you can identify and empathize with . An excellent example of great film making . A rating of 10 is not high enough . This trailer does not come close to representin…
@JazzFan4life · 65 likesI like when the guy tells his wife, “ I’m lucky cuz I’ve got my elbows. Some guys weren’t so lucky.”
@stevenlafrance5869 · 11 likesone of the best movies ever made....
@michaelmancini5041 · 51 likesFirst saw this on TV as a little kid back in the 70s. I remember watching it and feeling a little let down that there were no war scenes and that it was so long. None-the-less, it held my attention the entire way through. Didn't understand it all, but I could tell I'd witnessed s…
@RaptorFromWeegee · 16 likesi cannot help but love this movie! this movie won all of the academy awards except for one when it was nominated eight times! i recommend this movie for everyone to see! VERY definitely great movie!
@hanselbaker4639 · 40 likesThe first time I saw this I was hooked. But it wasn't till I served myself did I really understand. The message of this movie is still relevant today. One of the greatest movies ever made.
@David-kq6vy · 2 likesWhat a film! I can't believe I never heard of this film until I was in my 40's. It seems the only film from the 1940's you ever hear about is Casablanca. Well, I think this is better than Casablanca.
@bretstanley9449 · 34 likesThe greatest movie. Intensely moving and personal.
@johnlorenzen4633 · 13 likes
