Judith B
I loved this old film full of odd characters fighting against city slickers and bankers. Jimmy Stewart was young and tall and handsome and very enjoyable to watch. It was over two hours long but the time flew by. It is a must watch.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
10/24/24
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Pablo Y
Frank Capra nos brinda una maravillosa, aleccionadora y divertida historia en la que se entrelazan temas como la conciencia de clase, las ambiciones vitales y los valores humanos. Todos estos elementos convergen en un desenlace que logra transmitir el optimismo necesario que cada persona debe enfrentar en la vida para no perderse en ella en medio de sus desafíos, al mismo tiempo que evita malgastarla en el intento.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
12/28/23
Full Review
Matthew B
You Can't Take It with You is not one of Frank Capra's best-known films. Yet it was very successful at the time. It had the highest box office figures of any movie that year, and it is the only Capra movie that won Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. However time has not been kind to its reputation.
Critical reviews that I have read about it have been dismissive. The film is not thought to have dated well, and some think it is only of interest as a dry run for better films such as It's a Wonderful Life or Mr Smith Goes to Washington, which also combined a social message with light-hearted comedy.
One problem that people have with the film is that it is simply too nice. The quirky family at the heart of the story (the Sycamores) are loveable eccentrics in the same way that the Brewster family are in Arsenic and Old Lace – but what a difference! Behind their veneer of sweetness and charm, the Brewsters are concealing insanity and murder. The Sycamores however are exactly as nice they appear to be.
While You Can't Take It with You may not reach the heights of Capra's best work, it should not be dismissed too lightly. The pace may be slow and static at times, and the humour may be a little corny, but the film deserves a place in the list of socially responsible comedies of the era. It is no more soft-hearted or woolly than Capra's best-loved works.
Made in the late 1930s, You Can't Take It with You is set against the background of the Great Depression, like many films of the era. 1930s comedies often dealt in class issues, usually with a romance bringing two members of different classes together. This allowed a little escapism and wish fulfilment for financially struggling cinemagoers, and perhaps the chance to see the world of the wealthier classes criticised and turned upside down.
In contrast, Grandpa Sycamore's household is packed full of idiosyncratic family members doing their own thing. His daughter writes plays for no better reason than because a typewriter was delivered by accident to the house one day. Her husband plays the xylophone. Other family members dance, mess about with home-made fireworks, or do anything they please.
Not all members of the household are even family. A man who arrived to deliver ice to the Sycamores ended up staying as a permanent resident. While waiting to speak to Kirby, Grandpa coaxes a timid accountant called Poppins (Donald Meek) to give up his boring job and move into the Sycamore house to indulge in his real love, which is making toys.
This atmosphere of perfect creative freedom and ignoring of conventions makes the Sycamores a more loving and united family. This is in contrast to the Kirbys, where the son finds he can no longer talk to his grasping father, and Tony regrets being made to give up his dreams of harvesting a source of power from the sun.
The politics of You Can't Take It with You are muddled, as one might expect from a moviemaker who voted Republican, and yet deplored the corrupting influence of big business and politics. It is uncertain how practical the Sycamores are as an exemplars of better values. With the exception of Alice, they do not work for a living, and indeed Grandpa likens them to lilies of the field, leaving us to wonder about the source of their income.
Whatever the source, Grandpa makes an extraordinary statement in which he justifies not paying his income tax. Here the script is wilfully unfair and the only argument that the IRS agent can think of to justify income tax is that it funds battleships and buildings for politicians. Obviously this omits the many positive things that are paid for by tax too.
However we do not have to worry too much about the intricacies or impracticalities of what we see on screen. The film presents us with a broader message – that we should have the courage to put personal freedom over selfish individualism, family harmony over filial expectations, community obligations over business interests, and liberating creativity over constricting conventionality.
I wrote a longer appreciation of You Can't Take It with You on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2018/09/28/you-cant-take-it-with-you-1938/
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
09/28/23
Full Review
merick h
One of the great romantic comedies of all time. Full of charm!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
ernst k
I dare you not to find it warm, and positive, and while it might push the bounds of credulity who cares? Writing sharp, performances flawless, and just makes you smile.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Take a large free-spirited family without visible means of support. Add a large mean-spirited tycoon intent on taking over their neighborhood. Mix in a romance between their daughter & his son. Sprinkle with zaniness & bake for two hours. Enjoy while hot.
This is one of those big comedy productions with a huge cast that only someone like Frank Capra could have pulled off. That he did so, winning the 1938 Best Picture Oscar, is immensely to his credit.
Hobbling on the crutches that signaled the crippling arthritis that would soon confine him to a wheelchair, Lionel Barrymore is the focal point of the film as the grandfather of a wacky clan that believes in doing whatever makes them happy. So they dance, make fireworks, bake candy, paint, write novels, and construct toys with equal joy - laughing through the Depression with much love & great contentment. Jean Arthur, James Stewart & Edward Arnold co-star, with a mammoth cast of supporting players.
This is the movie for viewers who want to feel warm & safe & cuddled & protected.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
Full Review
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