The Best Years of Our Lives

Released Nov 21, 1946

2 hr. 52 min.

Drama

List

97%

98 Reviews

Tomatometer

93%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Fred, Al and Homer are three World War II veterans facing difficulties as they re-enter civilian life. Fred (Dana Andrews) is a war hero who, unable to compete with more highly skilled workers, has to return to his low-wage soda jerk job. Bank executive Al (Fredric March) gets into trouble for offering favorable loans to veterans. After losing both hands in the war, Homer (Harold Russell) returns to his loving fiancée, but must struggle to adjust.

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Critics Consensus

An engrossing look at the triumphs and travails of war veterans, The Best Years of Our Lives is concerned specifically with the aftermath of World War II, but its messages speak to the overall American experience.

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Buddy F

Heartbreaking beautiful film about life in America after WWII.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/24

Full Review

Yash B

"The Best Years of Our Lives" is probably the most authentic and genuine look at the reality veterans faced when returning from an event like WWII. This movie has great characters that all feel so real and I found myself completely invested in what would happen to them. It is completely bold that this movie came out in 1946, so close to the events it is portraying. It must have been a relevant film back then, and it definitely is one of those classic movies that has a timeless feel. Overall, it is a long journey to watch, and sometimes it does feel a bit exhausting to watch, but it is a captivating drama that stands the test of time and is worth experiencing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

Full Review

Ernie K

A masterly effort demonstrating the savagery of war in its aftermath and lingering effects. Written well, acted even better, and a "war film" that shows the most important aspects of how individuals and families dealt with emotional and physical harm that war inevitably engenders. Holds your interest throughout, with the incomparable Myrna Loy and Frederick March ably supported by Dana Andrews and a uniformly great and believable cast.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

Full Review

Franklin K

I consider this film to be the best war movie ever made, and there isn't a single combat scene or a single shot fired in anger. If you are a veteran, and especially if you are a combat veteran, this film will reverberate within you and touch your soul. You'll instantly identify with the characters of this film. This film is just as relevant today as it was in the post World War II years, and if there are wars and combat veterans coming home in the distant future, will be relevant two hundred years from now. If you are a veteran and want to see an accurate portrayal of your story and your experiences this is a must see. If you wish to gain some understanding of the veteran homecoming experience it's a must see as well. As a film about the American experience, this ranks among the very greatest.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

A R

A deeply empathetic movie that draws you into it's characters experiences with remarkably subtle performances. The first act alone had me tearing up several times. I think the later acts are encumbered by the crow-barred romance between Derry and Peggy, but the moments shared between the returning veterans (and of course whenever Myrna Loy is on screen) are well worth it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/27/23

Full Review

Bob W

A multidimensional film that sneaks up on you. Great performances -- notably from Frederic March and non-actor Harold Russell as a disabled former sailor (he won an Oscar), and a lot more humor than you may be expecting, and a humanity that sticks with people. At the risk of overselling it, there's a reason this is on so many lists of Hollywood's greatest films. William Wyler was a director who didn't have an obvious personal stamp. He just made great movies and this may have been his best.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/22/23

Full Review

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William Wyler

Director

Fredric March

Al Stephenson

Myrna Loy

Milly Stephenson

Dana Andrews

Fred Derry

Teresa Wright

Peggy Stephenson

Virginia Mayo

Marie Derry

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

By the time [the three servicemen] are saying goodbye to each other, all I was thinking about was how I hope they reunite... and being elated that they do.

Rated: 5/5

Mar 22, 2024

Full Review

Pauline Kael

New Yorker

It's too schematic and it drags on after you get the points. However, episodes and details stand out and help to compensate for the soggy plot strands, and there's something absorbing about the banality of its large-scale good intentions.

Jul 28, 2022

Full Review

Marjory Adams

Boston Globe

The Best Years Of Our Lives is an eloquent tribute to returned veterans [and] a magnificent, brilliant contribution to motion pictures as an art.

Apr 14, 2021

Full Review

Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

Perhaps no film detailed the struggles of our heroes returning home from battle as well. Its groundbreakingly authentic views were bolstered by Harold Russell’s visceral and tender-hearted performance.

Jun 8, 2023

Full Review

Edwin F. Melvin

Christian Science Monitor

On the surface, the tale seems easy-going and loosely knit. But it is compounded of an abundance of illuminating detail. The characters are of more than one dimension.

Aug 16, 2022

Full Review

Dilys Powell

Sunday Times (UK)

It has something to say to a dozen other publics... What I regret is that Sherwood, Wyler and Goldwyn should have preferred to say it in such naïve, really such rock-bottom terms.

Aug 8, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Fred, Al and Homer are three World War II veterans facing difficulties as they re-enter civilian life. Fred (Dana Andrews) is a war hero who, unable to compete with more highly skilled workers, has to return to his low-wage soda jerk job. Bank executive Al (Fredric March) gets into trouble for offering favorable loans to veterans. After losing both hands in the war, Homer (Harold Russell) returns to his loving fiancée, but must struggle to adjust.

Director: William Wyler
Screenwriter: MacKinlay Kantor, Robert E. Sherwood
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: Samuel Goldwyn Company
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 1946, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2012
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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