God, Man, and George Bailey: The Theological Anthropology of 'It’s a Wonderful Life'

Abstract

(This version is a pre-publication manuscript, which differs slightly from the final published version. Please quote from the latter). 

It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the most well-known and most-watched films in the history of American cinema. Although often labeled a Christmas movie, it is far more than that. Its lessons about life, virtue, and faith — which are never out of season — are central to the film’s character and have made a lasting impression on audiences for several generations. In this chapter, I explore those lessons and, when necessary, respond to critics who seem to misunderstand or mischaracterize them. My interpretation of the film differs from both the judgment of its first reviewers, who depicted it as simplistic and too sentimental, as well as recent criticisms from political theorist Patrick Deenen and certain feminist writers, who argue that the picture self-defeatingly advances the cause of modern liberalism (Deneen) or diminishes the status of women’s choices (feminist critics). Contra these critiques, I argue that It’s a Wonderful Life is pointedly realistic about human nature, that it captures both the grandeur and the darkness of the human condition including the joys and disappointments that we experience as a consequence of our dependency and the moral duties we do not choose.

Keywords: Theological anthropology, film, Patrick Deneen, James Stewart, It's a Wonderful Life, angelology, feminist critique