Quote of the day
posted at 9:30 pm on December 20, 2008 by Allahpundit
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“‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is a terrifying, asphyxiating story about growing up and relinquishing your dreams, of seeing your father driven to the grave before his time, of living among bitter, small-minded people. It is a story of being trapped, of compromising, of watching others move ahead and away, of becoming so filled with rage that you verbally abuse your children, their teacher and your oppressively perfect wife. It is also a nightmare account of an endless home renovation…
Not only is Pottersville cooler and more fun than Bedford Falls, it also would have had a much, much stronger future. Think about it: In one scene George helps bring manufacturing to Bedford Falls. But since the era of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ manufacturing in upstate New York has suffered terribly…
What a grim thought: Had George Bailey never been born, the people in his town might very well be better off today.”
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A natural New York sorta view.
ddrintn on December 20, 2008 at 9:35 PM
………
indeed….
There is a local crackpot who thinks that what we are experiencing is the first wave in the deindustrialization of the United States since we have passed PEAK OIL….
so anyway he was going on about the meeting at the Fed vis a vis the bankers and how all of this is to just buy time until April/March when Wall Street will lay an egg bigger than ‘29….
nationalization of everything from tobacco shops, gas stations, phramacies, lawnmower repair shops etc etc etc…
“we’d have been better off had we never had an oil industry”….
yeah maybe then again the problem today is the neo-luddites who refuse to let us soften the impact of POL through nuclear and coal use….
ah well we’ve been having these arguments for the last 120 years in this country.
The Coal Lobby demanded US warships never switch to oil at the turn of last century…..
the more things change….
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 9:37 PM
Wow. Talk about not getting it! George Baily sacrificed his life so that others could realize their dreams! A movie where faith in God and sacrificial love, even by imperfect people, is much more of what America used to be like, and indeed much of rural America is like at it’s best. Not surprised that the NY Times thinks Bedford Falls would have done better with Potter’s slums, gambling and dancing girls. Talk about out of touch.
Ordinary1 on December 20, 2008 at 9:38 PM
from the people who brought you Chuckles Schumer- It’s a *&%^& Horrible Life and *&^*^ You For Asking A**hole!
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 9:40 PM
Ordinary1:
You’re all over it, and you beat me to it. I would add that Pottersville was the epitome of selfishness, lawlessness and taking advantage of your fellow man for personal gain. Bedford falls is wholesome, refreshing, selfless and helping your fellow man.
Wendell Jamieson is either a nitwit or someone who just wants to be controversial. Or both.
Tom Blogical on December 20, 2008 at 9:45 PM
sven, this local guy spouting about peak oil. Is he mental?
upinak on December 20, 2008 at 9:46 PM
Sigh. Bedford falls = Bedford Falls
Tom Blogical on December 20, 2008 at 9:46 PM
Another brainless Grinch who thinks he’s H.L Mencken. How… entertaining. (yawn)
philwynk on December 20, 2008 at 9:47 PM
WENDELL JAMIESON is a negative attention whore!
Screw the n.y.t!!
christene on December 20, 2008 at 9:47 PM
Well I have a little psychology scholarship but I don’t think clinically so.
He is a baby boomer who latched onto the scare story he liked best which means in his case(as a Canadian-American working petrol) he finds the notion of his entire industry imploding to be the most gratifying…
at any rate 95% of his pap is over the top, BUT I was thinking part of his raving was in line with my suspicions about the Soros/Soros Stunt Troupe/UAW all getting in line at the trough….
I think we got conned….rent the original “Sting” with Newman and Redford to get in the right frame of mind then hum the entertainer and watch that you tube on the CFA that kept getting Copy Infringed….
anyway I have faith in mankind’s laziness working in harmony with craftiness to keep cranking out solutions…
keep warm gal,
sven
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 9:52 PM
Oy.
Did I say Oy?
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on December 20, 2008 at 9:53 PM
I saw this on the cover of the Arts section in my restaurant…My first words were “That’s sick.”
Its A Wonderful Life is a Christmas classic.
Does the NYT think that this is the way to make their stock go up?
jimmy the notable on December 20, 2008 at 9:54 PM
It’s not just that. It’s learning to appreciate the things you have around you, instead of constantly wishing you had done this, or that.
Let’s face it, just because George Bailey had big dreams doesn’t mean he was going to realize them.
It could also be a parable for acceptance—which is something that comes with age.
Meryl Yourish on December 20, 2008 at 9:55 PM
They think there is a huge untapped moonbat market they have not reached due to their centrism….
//rolleyes
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 9:56 PM
A friend told me recently that the whole plot thread with Potter seemed like a loose end (meaning she thinks he should have died), to which I responded, “It kinda seems like it’s all loose. I mean, first there’s the teacher and her husband who still have the bone to pick with him. Then there’s the fact that even though he just received a lot of money, it’s not like he got a limitless supply of money. And you’ve still got Potter around and he’ll be watching ever more closely for ways to trip up George. In fact, maybe that’s why the movie cut off right there. Maybe he ends up killing himself after all and they didn’t want to treat us to that since it’d be too depressing.”
Then she told me I spoiled her lifted spirits and called me a happiness vampire.
OneGyT on December 20, 2008 at 9:56 PM
My God, the movie is about life, and how value in life comes in ways we don’t expect.
Coming from a world-view that, at least outwardly, emphasizes appreciation for others’ experience, this comment shows the closed-minded perspective these people really have.
Kind of reminds me of the Oingo Boingo song Your an Imposter.
It just amazes me that anyone could conjure up this negative image from this wonderfully positive film. My 13-year old daughter just watched this film for the first time last night, and she was effusive in her praise. And at 13 years, there aren’t many things that get more than a grunt.
Clavius on December 20, 2008 at 9:59 PM
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas Everywhere I go…It’s an Imus Country Christmas Mix.
http://imustimes.wordpress.com/2008/12/20/imus-country-christmas/
Dr Evil on December 20, 2008 at 9:59 PM
Hey Wendell? It’s a movie. Bedford Falls doesn’t exist. Everytime you hear a bell, an angel doesn’t get his wings.
And that whole angry man thing? I’m guessing it has to do more with the status of your profession and that your company had to mortgage the mortar under your chair to keep paying you your shrinking salary and benies to allow you to keep pointing out things that have no relevance.
So good luck in your future.
See you at the movies!
JeffinOrlando on December 20, 2008 at 10:01 PM
oops. Should have been You’re an Imposter.
I hate mistakes like that…
Clavius on December 20, 2008 at 10:02 PM
I can’t wait till next weeks column, “Deconstructing “Old Yeller” and the Myth behind Dog is Man’s Best Friend”
lowandslow on December 20, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Oh My God… When is the next flight to the alternate universe taking off. I want to go home!
What the hell has happen to people? Insanity.
Next stop Bedford Falls…let me off there thank you.
katy on December 20, 2008 at 10:04 PM
I read this when it came out, of course the idea that casinos and prostitution are the sure fire ticket is idiotic to say the least. Go to Atlantic City, or look deeper into Las Vegas off the strip. Idiot.
rob verdi on December 20, 2008 at 10:05 PM
Just wait until he gets to Citizen Kane….
I am certain he will explain how Kane was not out of control at all…
and miss the hidden similarity to Kne’s machinations to their own…
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Nah, the next one he’ll deconstruct is Miracle on 34th Street. What better time to tear Santa a new one than late December.
jimmy the notable on December 20, 2008 at 10:08 PM
Is it possible to Unionize Christianity?
I need to get paid, yo
Ugly on December 20, 2008 at 10:08 PM
“Moral: sacrifice is for suckers.” Lovely.
There is some truth to what the author says: it’s hardly a cheerful film. George is driven to the brink of suicide before Clarence the angel intervenes. His impotent rage does drive him to trample both stuff and relationships and question whether people would be better off if he’d never been born.
Where the author errs is in the assertion that they would have been better off without him. Even the most wonderful lives are imperfect, and there’s plenty of heartache and heartbreak to go around. George sacrificed his dreams on numerous occasions…by his own choice. He did give something up, at times something pretty nice. But the moral he takes away is that of the people he cared most about, none were better off without him. His kids wouldn’t exist. His wife would be a shadow of the woman he knows. His friends are less charitable and gracious, and some are ruined and broken. His brother dead. And on and on.
When he returns to the life he knows, even with the handcuffs waiting, he knows that the choices he’s made, and the incidents beyond his control that had made him miserable, weren’t so bad compared to one of his imagined alternatives.
Frankly, my favorite alternate ending was offered by SNL, when someone broke in and said “hey, it was Mr. Potter who took the money! Let’s get him!” followed by an epic beatdown of the old bitter cripple. That’s the happy ending we’ve become used to in recent decades – comeuppance with a side order of whupass.
The wonder of “It’s a wonderful life” is that even in the midst of tragedy, there’s hope, if we look for it – even if the bad guys DON’T get what’s coming to them.
sulla on December 20, 2008 at 10:09 PM
And the communist continue to tear down every bit of Americana. They are a patient lot, and it looks like it’s about to pay off. :(
Gwillie on December 20, 2008 at 10:10 PM
Well, Kane is obviously John McKane, and Susan is obviously Sarah Palin, a no-talent thrust on the stage against her will, only to attempt suicide…it’s all there, plain to see.
ddrintn on December 20, 2008 at 10:10 PM
Wonderful?Sorry,George,Its’s a Pitiful,Dreadful Life.
————————————————–
“Its a “Wonderful Life” is a terrifying,asphyxiating story
about growing up and relinquishing your dreams,of seeing
your father driven to the grave before his time,of living
among bitter small-minded people.by Wendell Jamieson.
——————————————————–
——————————————————–
Well,that the brilliant logic of your Left brained Liberal!
Notice,the ‘bitter small-minded people’,kinda sounds a tad
like ‘bitterly clinging to your bibles and guns’doesn’t it!
And Wendall has nailed the upcoming Hopey/Changey regime,
to a tee,because thats the ‘Wonderful Life’ that Obama will
be delivering to those who voted for him!
canopfor on December 20, 2008 at 10:11 PM
we rally in Texas…or Mexico….or maybe Brazil…..
or
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 10:13 PM
nice catch…
*wink
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 10:14 PM
Well, I can’t say that I really care for the movie but, Dang!
davidk on December 20, 2008 at 10:14 PM
Me thinks,that it was the KOOL-AID talking,
in Wendalls ‘b#sterdized version’of It’s a
Wonderful Life’!
canopfor on December 20, 2008 at 10:14 PM
Frank Oz was at his very, very best, producing “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The best for me was how after years of struggle and endless letters to Santa, George was finally given a Red Ryder BB Gun by his old chums Bert and Ernie. And Barbara Stanwick’s turn as Mrs. Bailey is quite simply unforgettable– particularly the sequence where she is caught in a rain storm and launches into that diatribe against Jerry Lewis, how his ‘earlier, funny movies were ok, but lately…’. … Billy Mays couldn’t have sold it better.
Scribbler on December 20, 2008 at 10:17 PM
i scooped you again: i posted on this a few days ago – on last thursday, here.
reliapundit on December 20, 2008 at 10:18 PM
Of course who could forget the epic chase scene through Chicago as George heroically tries to get the missing money in to Mr. Potter’s bank. It was a line for the ages “I hate Illinois Nazis.”
Scribbler on December 20, 2008 at 10:20 PM
Just wait till he gets to Citizen Kane…
sven10077 on Dec 20,2008 at 10:06PM.
sven10077:I can’t wait till he does the movie,Mrs.Miniver!
canopfor on December 20, 2008 at 10:21 PM
Notwithstanding my last comment, in all seriousness, I’m sure the author of that article is a huge hit at cocktail parties.
And I say that with only the slightest, slightest, tiniest little hint of sarcasm.
OneGyT on December 20, 2008 at 10:22 PM
But,but,I thought the crux of Obama’s campaign was HOPE!!
canopfor on December 20, 2008 at 10:26 PM
He quotes, “To George, the richest man in town?” And puts a question mark on the end???????? Wrong. Harry makes a statement. A true statement in his estimation, George is indeed the richest man in town. The most respected. The most admired. The most loved. Because of his deeds and his actions. George is the man! He just doesn’t know it, b/c he is humble and the epitome of what a good man is!
What rubbish. I’m sorry I took the time to read it!
JAM on December 20, 2008 at 10:29 PM
Oh NO he didn’t!!!!…
Being employed by the NYT must just suck the joy of life out of a person…That, and/or The Clash and The Jam melted his brain.
Rock the Casbah, George Bailey!
Gohawgs on December 20, 2008 at 10:31 PM
The article is thoughtful and the writer really likes the movie. Read the whole thing.
lexhamfox on December 20, 2008 at 10:36 PM
Lex I think he is too self-centered to let the above try to bail him out…
his rant is a nonstop whine in lieu of appreciating the story of a man being forced to confront the true value of friendship, service, and honor….
then again I may be old-fashioned.
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Well I’m sorry, but everyone knows that the newspaper sells because of the headlines. This is a dumb move, either way. If my first reaction is “Those bastards!” and to not buy the paper, they’re clearly doing something wrong, even if the article is positive.
jimmy the notable on December 20, 2008 at 10:50 PM
George Bailey thinks he gave away too much of himself for the benefit of others. The fantasy interlude gives George a third person view of his life and choices in a kind of counter Scrooge fashion and the value of George’s life becomes tangible. It is among the most pleasing fables for the soul at Christmas. The disingenuous turd who wrote this is only looking for attention by attacking this modern parable.
BL@KBIRD on December 20, 2008 at 10:56 PM
What would it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?
custer on December 20, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Jimmy Stewart was great guy, but the lamest actor on Earth!
TheSitRep on December 20, 2008 at 10:59 PM
Another look at liberal moral equivalence.
Mojave Mark on December 20, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Go ahead AP, kick us while we are down!
conservnut on December 20, 2008 at 11:04 PM
It IS definitely a dark movie. But a powerful, life-affirming one. That’s what they can’t stand.
Hey here’s an idea. George takes Violet (whom he’s impregnated) to the abortion clinic, Mary leaves George and the kids to go “find herself” with George’s mom (who’s been a miserable closeted lesbian up till now), Uncle Whats his Name who lost the $8K kills himself with a shotgun to the great relief of his family and Potter (who never returned the $8 thou, remember?) buys a new bigger Pottersville sign. The Bailey kids are all adopted by Bert and Ernie (who got married) and they joined the Pottersville Global Warming Awareness Kidz Club.
Happy now, NYT?
inviolet on December 20, 2008 at 11:05 PM
add a scene with Santa Raping Mother Nature and I think you’ve got future earnings potential in Hollywierd friend…
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 11:09 PM
I’ve always thought that George Bailey was the luckiest dude on the planet. Afterall, who wouldn’t be 10-feet tall every day married to Donna Reed? Uber-babe.
George is the ‘man’ for putting everyone else first and saving the town.
I’m gonna say it. George Bailey is one of “Sarah’s People”. Cut from the same cloth.
Sapwolf on December 20, 2008 at 11:11 PM
From “A Man for All Seasons”?
Try this great Saint Thomas More quote:
“Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal”
Too bad More is not around now. We could really use a guy like him in the next GOP administration. Imagine him in the Cuda’s cabinet?
Sapwolf on December 20, 2008 at 11:16 PM
Wonderful comment.
The next thing you know, the NYT will be siding with Scott Farkus and Grover Dill against Ralphie in A Chrismas Story. Jean Shepherd was a comedic genius.
Forgive me for adding, while the themes can be too mature at times for younger eyes, Love Actually (2003) is worth a Christmastime watch if you have the time to invest watching it.
BuckeyeSam on December 20, 2008 at 11:20 PM
+10
“I believe that when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their ‘public duty’, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.” –St. Thomas More (paraphrase)
A Man for All Seasons – one of the best movies of all time.
BTW of course the “what does it profit a man” is by Jesus but Robert Bolt uses it to great effect in A Man for All Seasons - having More tell Richard Rich just after he’s perjured himself for a state position – “Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world….But, for Wales.”
inviolet on December 20, 2008 at 11:22 PM
Check! It looks like this midgets’ growth in life consisted of successfully transitioning from the Punk scene of the 80’s to the Goth scene of the 90s and beyond…both of which are, mentally at least, pre-pubescent experiences. Good job you eternal 13 year old…
AUINSC on December 20, 2008 at 11:22 PM
…………. fixed it for ya Skippy.
Merry Christmas……………..
Seven Percent Solution on December 20, 2008 at 11:26 PM
LOL
SUCH a typical New York liberal movie critic. Of course NOTHING could be entertaining but arthouse filme, a COMMUNITY DANCE is entertainment? You must be out of your mind, dahling.
Their obsession with looking cosmopolitan and properly sophisticated is just too precious. hahaha Jerks. :)
inviolet on December 20, 2008 at 11:28 PM
NYT is going bankrput, intellectually and financially. The two are intergral, because there is a market for ideas and debate, and NYT is not serving that market by publishing night soil like this.
You can’t get there from here, with that cadre of useful idiots. The blunt fact is most of the audience disagree with this kind of manure. Try to sell it, please…go ahead…and you will go broke.
Oh, yah, we are all dumber than snot because we don’t see things as you savants do. Fine. When we have the US version of Pravda, we will eat what we are fed, but perhaps not even then.
As for now, perform something anatomically impossible (I think it is, maybe you can do it) and look for another job.
Twit.
Harry Schell on December 20, 2008 at 11:33 PM
Hey thanks for the clarification. My Navarre Bible (Matthew 16:26) says it slightly different:
“For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?”
I actually cringed when Richard perjured himself in the movie version. Richard (and Henry) were big wins for the Enemy.
The cool thing about about this is it comes right before Matthew 17 which is the one historical event I would love to have witnessed, the Transfiguration.
Sapwolf on December 20, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Here’s the lost ending of “It’s A Wonderful Life”.
ramrocks on December 20, 2008 at 11:37 PM
What a small man Wendell Jamieson is….
d1carter on December 20, 2008 at 11:41 PM
Obviously Mr. Potter used the stolen Bailey Savings and Loan money to finance this article.
Next up: Scrooge should have sold the late Tiny Tim’s extranneous crutch and bought a nice new money belt.
profitsbeard on December 20, 2008 at 11:41 PM
Hey, if he’d rather have pre-Rudy’s Time Square, with all and hookers, be my guest…
newton on December 20, 2008 at 11:44 PM
AP are you planning to try and ruin A Christmas Story too? I’d just like a heads up so I can be prepared.
On a serious note (And a rather sappy one too, I apologize.), my family has always been solidly lower middle class, and we went through some lean times when I was a kid (I’m not very old now, in case you’re wondering.). There was a lot of soup beans and cornbread at dinner, and two TV stations long after everyone else had cable, and we never took a family vacation. My sister and I didn’t know didn’t know that my parents struggled to make ends meet. We were kids and didn’t know any different. We had everything we needed. My parents emphasized education and did everything they could to make our lives better. My sister and I were the first in our family to go to college.
Anyway, my mom always used to say to me (usually after a friend had come back to help fix the car, or trim a tree, etc.): ‘Friends are always better than money’. Which is, of course, It’s a Wonderful Life in a nutshell. A simple lesson, but one I try to keep in mind. Anyway, I didn’t mean to go all sappy or preachy. I just got back from a Christmas play so I guess the Christmas spirit rubbed off on me.
meltenn on December 20, 2008 at 11:47 PM
You forgot the part where the federal government bails out the Bailey Savings & Loan to the tune of a few billion dollars.
I think Wendall Jamison is projecting his own miserable existence on this wonderful, uplifting film. I watch it every Christmas and sometimes at other times during the year as well and it never ceases to move me to tears. The only “bitter small-minded” person in this equation is Jamison himself. Either that or he fell asleep before the last five minutes and missed the entire point of the movie. Obviously this is a man still in denial about his own “ordinariness,” who believes a person’s life only has worth if he’s an elitist, liberal-minded regular on the East Coast cocktail circuit making gobs of money at bloviating about nothing. He can’t conceive of a man’s (or woman’s) riches being made up of more simple, fundamental things like love and family and friendship and a home. No, you are only worth something if you have money and an Ivy League education and live in some big cosmopolitan metropolis (and this comes from someone who loved living in the city, BTW). I think the reason the movie resonates with people — with normal, empathic people with actual human feelings — is that we have all been George Bailey at some time in our lives. Who among us didn’t have big, grand plans for ourselves when we were younger? For some of us it pans out, but for most of us, life happens and you start to adjust your expectations and although I don’t think you should ever stop dreaming or aspiring to greater things, I do think — again, if you are a sane, normal person — that you come to a point where you appreciate your life for what it is NOW instead of what if might be or could have been. That’s a tough realization to come to when you finally do, and I admit to still struggling with it from time to time — my life today is certainly light years from what I imagined 20 years ago — but for the most part, I am at peace with it. That’s what the movie is about to me, but apparently this simple message is lost on Mr. Jamison. I feel sorry for him: He’s just going to grow even more nasty and cynical like some modern-day Mr. Potter until he finally just shrivels up and dies bitter and alone.
NoLeftTurn on December 20, 2008 at 11:50 PM
Carvey was great as George. I saw that skit years ago. I pretty much stopped watching SNL after he was gone.
Funny thing is, Carvey went to Carlmont High School in San Carlos, CA. My first basketball game I ever saw was when when my father, who was a teacher at Cubberley High in Palo Alto, CA brought me to see Carlmont vs. Cubberley. My Dad arranged for me to get to shoot hoops during half-time. I was like 5 or six years old. My Dad said the crowd cheered when I made a shot. He said it was obvious my little 5-6 year old body could only barely reach the rim. Now that I think of it, it must have been like when Piper gets a little bit of Sarah’s spotlight now and then.
Sapwolf on December 20, 2008 at 11:56 PM
Well that fits in with everything today. Gays get “married”, semi-automatic rifles are “assault weapons”. Truth is “relative”. Up is down, black is white, hot is cold. We’re a couple of years late, but Orwell was right. Newspeak is here.
GarandFan on December 20, 2008 at 11:56 PM
I vote we give New York to Canada, they can become part of Quebec. Then we can try and sucker Mexico into taking California…
BadMojo on December 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM
NYT blah that finds itself cleverly amusing. I’m not amused, and won’t waste the patience to read page 2.
maverick muse on December 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Next Column, A Christmas Story
Ralphie’s receives the BB gun, starts to shoot the neighbor’s cats and hiding the bodies.. to start his path as a future serial killer..
His Dad is a closet alcoholic who molested the kid who got his tongue stuck on the flagpole..
and the Mom left to find herself in California because she was being ’suffocated’ as a housewife..
and his little brother turns out to be an arsonist..
DaveC on December 21, 2008 at 12:08 AM
the truth hurts
Drunk Report on December 21, 2008 at 12:08 AM
I don’t know, it looks like Pottersville has some nice Jazz clubs, while in Bedford Falls George is stuck hanging out at the library on Friday night.
PackerBronco on December 21, 2008 at 12:10 AM
Has the USa sunk so low that people in NY can no longer even see the good? where has my country gone? I want it back. I am tired of it being given to the evils of man. Maybe we deserve what is coming.
unseen on December 21, 2008 at 12:12 AM
The New York Times should go bankrupt….but it will probably
get a bailout…too. :lol
dec5 on December 21, 2008 at 12:18 AM
I don’t get the manufacturing comment. George did bring that plant to Bedford Falls, how would his absence have led to a brighter future for upstate NY?
mankai on December 21, 2008 at 12:19 AM
silly. Mr Potter was a Vampire. A drinker of life. Everything behind him was dead or dying. Small towns have been hurt over the last 100 years by industrializing the farms and outsourcing the factories, but to say the town would be better off killed sooner rather then smothered by decades of economic shifts is unreasonable.
No good comes from the Vampires. They eat destruction and leave nothing in their wake. Look at new york today. The potters got what they wanted. They brought the Big Apple to it’s knees. Had they someone to stop it New York could be thriving right now. But instead there were only more vampires and so they sucked it down to nothing.
Karmashock on December 21, 2008 at 12:22 AM
How interesting (read: ironic) that this whine appears next to a “glorious” ad for the Movie “Milk,” a film over which I am sure everyone at The New York Times has already wet his/her pants…
D2Boston on December 21, 2008 at 12:49 AM
Please don’t feed the troll……..
Seven Percent Solution on December 21, 2008 at 1:06 AM
Somebody musta peed in this guy Wendell’s Ovaltine. This is just what I would expect from the NYT. Where you attack your allies, and defend your enemies. Where good is bad, and bad is good, and only the depraved have any kind of moral authority. I’m sure by now a green light means stop according to their highly sophisticated, nuanced view. (You know, green means stop drilling, green means stop nukes–green just means stop, you f***ing red state idiots.) So, guys, show me you mean it. Wait til the light for Broadway turns green, and then walk briskly across, fully confident that your wacked concept of reality will see you safely to the other side. C’mon, I dare you.
smellthecoffee on December 21, 2008 at 1:42 AM
Plus, there are no people of color of note. A Christmas Story is yet another whitewash of a highly intolerant time in our history…when gays had to hide securely in their closets, when Jim Crow laws were rigorously enforced, when abortion was available only to the rich or in back alleys, when sexuality was stifled under the repressive patriarchy camouflaged by the grins of Truman or Ike.
These people are so predictable.
ddrintn on December 21, 2008 at 1:49 AM
Please tell me this is a joke.
A horrible one but a joke nonetheless.
It just has to be……right?
The Ugly American on December 21, 2008 at 2:10 AM
I know of people who are upset 42nd Street in Manhattan is no longer Peep Show Central and decry the “Disneyfication” of the street to the “family-friendly” street it is now.
hadsil on December 21, 2008 at 2:14 AM
Ordinary1 said:
And notice who posted this quote of the day on here – ALLAHPUNDIT the Christian-hating atheist!
Amazing how the night before he posts a video about some sort of Christian/atheist truce and then tonight he posts this piece of crap dumping on a great Christmas classic.
Should I be amazed? I guess not really. Its how atheists are.
TheMightyQuinn on December 21, 2008 at 2:17 AM
Who the hell is this jackass?
Seriously, if this author sees something wrong with how George Bailey actually gets to see the way in which he’s impacted the entire town of Bedford Falls for the better and this crap counts as ‘enlightened thinking’…game over, man. Game over.
Viewtifulgare on December 21, 2008 at 2:25 AM
“He can’t conceive of a man’s (or woman’s) riches being made up of more simple, fundamental things like love and family and friendship and a home.”
Enjoyed your whole post, noleftturn.
I was thinking. This NYT writer is either . . .
(a) immature
(b) trying too hard to be sophisticated (and it’s not that hard; just take anything good and manage to see something bad in it)
and/or (c) emotionally and spiritually stunted.
He is the very poster child of the type of person who grasps only material values.
Also disturbing is his definition of “excitement” as gambling, nightclubs, money, etc. These things are not only the cheapest (most easily obtained) sources of excitement, but also the most shallow and least nourishing.
It’s too bad that those of us who conscientiously try to live the good life of a George Bailey – and who spend years trying to teach our children solid values and goals – have to constantly battle cultural garbage like this, with its veneer of pseudo-sophistication.
The only consolation is you just KNOW people like this utterly fail to grasp the true joys of life, and can’t fully appreciate or reap the benefits of intangibles like honor, loyalty, friendship, kindness, love and principles.
And that’s not much consolation, because you wish they were a little more enlightened, and could have better lives and more happiness.
What do these people do when the crap hits the fan and they no longer have their money, kicks, cocktail parties, trappings of superiority, and so forth?
I think they either become devastated and totally lost, or they learn, and quickly, what really matters most.
Alana on December 21, 2008 at 3:13 AM
Sure, Wendell is wrong, but for other reasons.
First of all, George goes into the bar, Nick’s, after his life has been extinguished, and frankly, the joint is jumping. I mean, compared to Martini’s, Nick’s has crazy loose blonde women, Fats Waller is apparently at the piano and the place is packed.
My question is, how in the world did Nick ever get a loan for this business?
Nick says “this is a place that serves hard drinks for men who want to get drunk fast”
Ok, that’s not exactly a great business model. Mr. Potter is the banker, right, so what, exactly, happened here?
Nick: Mr. Potter, I need a loan to start a bar.
Potter” What kind of bar?
Nick: Well, it’s a bar that serves hard drinks.
Potter: Ok, I like what we’re saying…
Nick: …for men who want to get drunk fast.
Potter: …get drunk fast?
Nick: That’s right.
Potter: Why would you want them to get drunk fast? I mean, I’m no barkeep, but it seems like you would want your customers not to get drunk so fast, so they could spend more, um, right?
Nick: Ahh, that’s thte beauty of Nick’s!
Even Liberals who are willing to make loans to no-credit home-buyers with little income on the assurance of Barney Frank, would not have made this loan.
Maybe Nick was only looking forward to the Bailey bailout?
LexisTexas2 on December 21, 2008 at 3:38 AM
Why does everyone forget that the U.S. is sitting on decades worth of oil shale and Canada is squatting on almost as much oil sand? We are the Saudi Arabia of the second half of the 21st century, but I guarantee we won’t sell it to the world.
DFCtomm on December 21, 2008 at 4:01 AM
Folks this is classic liberalism. If you read till the end, he seems to be conceding that he gets the object of the story; to the point of emotion. Why does he bash it all the way through and then admit he gets choked up? He either did it because it’s his idea of a Yuletide practical joke on Conservatives to rattle our cages or what I think; that new age progressives couldn’t give a rats rear end about other human beings and idealistic themes as portrayed in IAWL. They’re Nihilistic to the pits of their souls and really more concerned with clubbing and their next trip to home plate than they are in crusade-like issues like world peace. They are abjectly ruthless in their criticisms to anyone who clings to any remnant of tradition. How do you explain otherwise the vile treatment of Sarah Palin both during the elections and now? How else can you explain the vemon at the DU and HuffPo? They don’t want to enlighten us. They hate us and would signal the firing squads to be rid the world of us if it came to that. The only reason they identify with the so-called party of peace and love is because it gives them what they want; their pampered little worlds handed to them in true Burger King fashion.
Pathetic excuses for human being.
hawkdriver on December 21, 2008 at 4:35 AM
Heh. First this guy says that Pottersville was “cooler” and would’ve been stronger financially in the long run, BUT then he points out that Ernie was a madman of a police officer. Uh, gee, maybe Pottersville wasn’t so cool afterall? What a contradictory essay.
And for the record, It’s a Wonderful Life is my all-time favorite movie. It’s an idealistic, Christian movie — so of course it’s non-materialistic.
“What profitteth a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on December 21, 2008 at 6:31 AM
Okay, more stuff made my blood boil. First, just because George wanted to travel the world, this author make the leap to think that George wanted XXX dancing girls? Huh?? Why can’t someone want “excitement” without it involving sex?
And, yes, George’s life will not be monetarily perfect even after all that his friends did for him — that’s where the Christian, non-materialistic part comes in… it’s about a man learning that happiness isn’t about money or realizing what were your dreams as a kid. It’s about a man coming to the realization that his wife and kids, his friends, and his FAITH (that angel Clarence) are his most treasured possession. They are priceless. Jesus’ parable about storing our treasures in Heaven; that here the moth and the rust will eat our worldy possessions, but non-tangible things are eternal.
Ah, well, this article made me think once again about all the wonderful reasons that I adore It’s a Wonderful Life. Not the intention of the bone-headed author, ha! Now, I’m off to watch my IAWL DVD that I got last year. I wonder how many times I’ve watched it, adding up all those times I saw it during my ’80s childhood back before NBC got exclusive rights. Those were the days!!
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on December 21, 2008 at 6:41 AM
Now that is truly a sad commentary.
Zorro on December 21, 2008 at 6:44 AM
Last thing, even if George only did one good thing in his whole life — saving his brother’s life — he did more than his share. I guess this idiot author would like to ignore the part where younger brother Harry saves the lives of all those soldiers on the aircraft carrier in WWII?
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on December 21, 2008 at 6:45 AM
Listen to the words, bitter, small minded, asphyxiating, etc. Doesn’t it remind you of a certain conversation held privately in San Fran? Did Obama pen this review under a pseudonym?
As for Citizen McKane, you finally solved the mystery of “Rosebud”, Sarah Palin (lol)
eaglewingz08 on December 21, 2008 at 7:05 AM
Mr. Jamieson’s review demonstrates the leftist world view is so deeply perverse that it cripples the intellect.
petefrt on December 21, 2008 at 7:48 AM
Ridiculous quote.
Aronne on December 21, 2008 at 8:10 AM
George’s dream was to leave Bedford Falls and build things. He stayed in Bedford Falls and he built things. Sounds like a win/win.
Cindy Munford on December 21, 2008 at 8:23 AM
Bedford Falls is where bitter gun and bible clingers live.
Fletch54 on December 21, 2008 at 8:29 AM
Wow, somebody is a getting a lump of in their stocking this year.
vcferlita on December 21, 2008 at 8:30 AM
Well,, since you’re from the New York Times, it’s no wonder. It’s no wonder, too,, you have the facts wrong on the movie. If a real investigation had been done,, and if you knew the movie,, George didn’t steal the money. It was misplaced and discovered by POTTER!! The real crime was committed by Potter! He is the one who would have gone to jail,, since he knew it was the deposit and KEPT THE MONEY!!!
Yeah,, the movie ends happily,, everyone gets their money back,, yet this guy thinks he’s smart because he went to a lawyer and found a way to charge George with a crime!! TYPICAL LIB!!!
But,, ya know,, it’s like this,,, if you like whores, if you like loan sharks,, if you like being on top and crushing little people’s throats with your foot,, if Mr Potter seems cool to you,,, YOUR A LIB DEM AND POTTERSVILLE IS YOUR KIND OF TOWN!
JellyToast on December 21, 2008 at 8:46 AM
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