Best Holiday Movie

Has hondo even been back on here to accept his lump of coal for his glaring omissions?

 

l've gotten a little tired of Its A Wonderful Life--probably since I've seen the damn thing at least thirty times.

So, if they were to do a remake, who'd you cast?

 

It was a drive-by-post. He's gone.

 

I'd put Hugh Grant in the Jimmy Stewart/George Bailey role. Hugh Grant is really good at playing Hugh Grant and that was a pretty Hugh Grantish role. He can do self-pity. Not sure if he can get dark enough, though.

How about Sandra Bullock as Mary.

Clarence made the movie for me, though. Best role. How about Paul Giamatti?

Uncle Billy: John C. Reilly

Mr. Potter: Ian McKellen

Harry Bailey: Brad Pitt in a cameo

 

Yeah, it's an awesome little postcard of our downtown and such from about 25 years ago.

 

Dorothy Parker once said of of an actress, "she runs the gamut of emotions from A to B"
That pretty much describes Hugh Grant.

Liked your other suggestions, although I'm iffy about Sandra Bullock

 

Did they use The Harb as a location?

 

Hey, I've been to the Harb. Maybe we should go there instead of Super Burger on the 21st.

(Just kiddin', the Sound will probably be snowed in)

 

George Bailey -- Dennis Quaid
Mary Bailey -- Patricia Clarkson
Uncle Billy -- Have to agree with Ace. John C. Reilly
Mr. Potter -- M. Emmet Walsh
Clarence -- Robert Morse

 

That's impressive.

 

weirdly, what makes a holiday movie work, i think, is darkness. too often, the thing is just some awful spun-sugar concoction, missing the horrifying, death-staring darkness of "wonderful life". that shot of jimmy stewart's 1000-yard stare, when he realizes the horror of a world without himself, is about as devastating an existential moment as i've ever seen on film. with it, the payoff of the film comes off as honest sentiment, not treacle. without it, we wouldn't even be talking about "wonderful life". that's why "the ref" works, too: somehow demme took that bare-knuckled denis leary cynicism and made the turn to warmth. but you need both, and you need to commit fully to the darkness to make the light seem earned.

 

There was a Christmas movie from my youth called the House Without a Christmas Tree starring Jason Robards as a grumpy old man who wouldn't allow a Christmas tree in his house. There was a kid in it - maybe his grandson from a son he lost in a war or some other tragedy. Really dark and spare and good. (I won't give away the ending, but you know how it ends already don't you?)

I always thought Dick Cheney would have made a great Mr. Potter in a remake of it's a wonderful life. Funny mention of John C. Reilly - that guy could probably do George, Billy, Clarence and even Mr. Potter.