You Can't Take It with You

From my Best Picture Marathon, part 4 of 6.



You Can't Take It with You, 1938. A young couple is separated by class tensions between their families.

Directed by Frank Capra. Written by Robert Riskin, based on a play by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart. Starring Lionel Barrymore, Jean Arthur & James Stewart.

Concept: 1/4 (Bad)
Story: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Pacing: 1/4 (Bad)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Subjective Rating: 4/10 (Eh, 2/4). Hollywood's version of being relevant to social issues: a story about a guy with so much money he can support a large family in luxury for decades, through the great depression, without working - and he's supposed to be the lower class half of the equation. What the serious fuck? Besides that, the movie's dull, poorly crafted, and desperate to seem zany. The only good parts are when it takes a break to be a Jimmy Stewart movie - but for the most part it isn't; it's a Lionel Barrymore Wants You To Know What's Wrong With You movie.
Objective Rating (Average): 1.9/4 (Eh)