Tori Brazier
Published December 2, 2025 5:00am
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Movie fans, get ready for Christmas with this absolutely iconic festive film (Picture: Snap/Shutterstock)
It’s December, we’re all officially switching into festive mode – and conveniently a film widely considered the best Christmas film of all time is now available to stream.
Actually, scratch that, whether it’s Christmas or not, It’s A Wonderful Life is considered one of the greatest films ever committed to celluloid.
Anyone who has missed out on its legendary cinematic charm can rectify that by watching it courtesy of Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
Its fans hail it ‘a triumph’, ‘ahead of its time’ and ‘the absolute pinnacle of cinema’, while it’s also been included in multiple best and greatest film round-up lists, such as by the likes of the American Film Institute (AFI) and Channel 4’s 2002 televised special ‘The 100 Greatest Films’, which airs annually.
Directed by legendary filmmaker Frank Capra, It’s A Wonderful Life was nominated for five Academy Awards in 1947 but was initially met with mixed reviews and failed to turn a profit at the box office – or break even.
However, that’s all changed in the subsequent 79 years with the film – which tells the story of George Bailey (James Stewart), an ambitious man trapped in a small town that wishes he’d never been born and is shown that version of reality – consistently being heaped with praise.
It’s A Wonderful Life is often heralded as both the best Christmas movie ever, and also one of the best movies ever made, full-stop (Picture: RKO/Shutterstock)
It’s A Wonderful Life also stars Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi and Gloria Grahame, and is based on Philip Van Doren Stern’s 1943 self-published short story The Greatest Gift – itself inspired by Charles Dickens’ seasonal favourite, A Christmas Carol.
We are introduced to George via the prayers of his worried family and friends on Christmas Eve in 1945 at the start of the film.
Contemplating taking his own life after years of putting the needs of others above living out his own personal dreams, a guardian angel in training, Clarence Odbody (Mitchell), is assigned to save George and earn his wings by showing him what life would have been like without him.
‘By far the most incredible movie I’ve ever seen,’ enthused Thomas B in a five-star fan reaction on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, while Nathaniel P commented: ‘A holiday classic is an understatement, it’s a truly life changing film.’
James Stewart stars as the frustrated George Bailey, who has spent a lifetime putting the needs of others above his own (Picture: RKO/Kobal/Shutterstock)
After he contemplates ending his own life, he’s assigned an angel (Henry Travers, pictured) to show him what the world would be like without him (Picture: RKO/Kobal/Shutterstock)
Javier A shared that he considers it ‘a cinematic miracle indeed’ as Greg S added: ‘The best story ever written and the best movie ever made. A masterpiece of cinema! I first watched it when I was 10 more than a half century ago and it gets better with every viewing.’
‘It captures something profound about what it means to live a good life and does it in a sweet, humorous, and engaging way. This makes it a GREAT movie, and not simply a Christmas movie,’ argued Daniel J.
Meanwhile Cade H acknowledged that the move is ‘considered by many to be the absolute pinnacle of cinema, and it makes complete sense’, adding: ‘It’s not a question of if you should watch it, but how many times you’ll end up watching it.’
The film was a disappointment on release but has gained huge acclaim over the years (Picture: RKO/Kobal/Shutterstock)
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But It’s A Wonderful Life purists should beware as last year Amazon Prime caught heat for offering only an ‘abridged’ version of the film which cut a crucial 23-minute section, known as the Pottersville scene, where George and Clarence talk about suicidal thoughts before the angel shows him how grim life would be if he didn’t exist.
Luckily this time though, that section – arguably the whole point of the film – remains in place.
It’s A Wonderful Life currently holds a 94% rating from critics on the platform from 97 review, which is quite a remarkable consensus given that films often find their scores falling over time.
One of the most enduring stills in festive cinema comes from It’s A Wonderful Life (Picture: RKO/Kobal/Shutterstock)
‘What is remarkable about It’s a Wonderful Life is how well it holds up over the years; it’s one of those ageless movies, like Casablanca or The Third Man, that improves with age,’ observed noted critic Roger Ebert for the Chicago Sun-Times in 2000.
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‘It’s a gem for any time of the year and, as such, a vital part of any film fan’s collection,’ added Liz Moody for Empire.
It’s A Wonderful Life was the third film Capra and leading man Stewart collaborated on after 1938’s You Can’t Take It with You and 1939’s Mr Smith Goes to Washington.
It’s A Wonderful Life is streaming on Amazon Prime Video now.
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