I realize, for many, the quintessential Christmas movie is It's a Wonderful Life. The problem for me is I despise the movie and all its clichés. I realize this isn't fair, and at the time all the plot twists weren't clichéed, but I...
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I realize, for many, the quintessential Christmas movie is It's a Wonderful Life. The problem for me is I despise the movie and all its clichés. I realize this isn't fair, and at the time all the plot twists weren't clichéed, but I can't get past them, I don't feel merry, and it puts me right out of the mood to deck the halls.

Enter Cary Grant's conflicted angel, and a story that's funny, sincere, and is incandescent in holiday spirit. Perhaps it's the "stiff upper lip" attitude over the whining, the fact Grant is in love but still behaves for the greater good (self-sacrifice seems to fit the true meaning for the season), I'm not sure. But Christmas isn't Christmas unless I've seen this film.