Rating: 
Summary: Bastardization of a good play
Review: Kaufman and Hart's sharp and lively play is turned into sentimental glop by Capra. Capra really stacks the deck by turning the banker into a monstrous figure of evil, and the eccentric Vanderhof family into champions of 'the little guy'.
Rating: 
Summary: If You Like "Wonderful Life" You'll Love This
Review: Like all of Frank Capra's films, this one becomes more relevant, and more endearing as our society becomes more elaborate and more anonymous. The cozy warmth of small town USA blends with the joy and laughter of these lovable characters as they make day-to-day enjoyment of life their highest priority. On the flip side there is a fast paced money hungry business world that seems to produce great wealth and power, but little or no genuine happiness. And between them, the incomparable James Stewart. With his boyish good humor, he's able to recognize, long before his aristocratic parents, the value of the simple and joyous lifelstyle epitomized by his new found love and her family. If this movie doesn't touch your heart, and send you away happy, check your pulse.
Rating: 
Summary: On My List Of Favorite Overlooked Films.
Review: May 2, 2002Corny! Lord, is 'You Can't Take It With You' corny.
And dated. I wont argue that many of this Capra classic's
sensibilities haven't slipped from vogue. But kids,
this is an old movie starring a lot of famous old
actors that you might want to check out. It's about
a family of eccentrics living together in a single
house and behaving like a truckload of Looney Tunes
characters let out on loan from the Warner Brothers
studios. They don't fret money. They don't fret
mores. They don't fret the authorities. They don't
give a hoot about appearances. In fact, they don't
do much of anything, other than what they feel like
doing, which is usually nothing that'll help anyone,
not even themselves. I'm willing to admit that even as a fable it's not a
very practical, pragmatic, or mature message to impart
on a child. But impart it on yours anyway. Just about
everything else kids meet in this world will teach them
to be pragmatic, sensible, even calculating, quick
enough. I think every ten-year old kid should see this movie
(and 'Mr. Smith Goes To Washington', and 'Meet John
Doe'). Parents, wrestle those young'uns away from
blowing things up on their video console, or from
watching things get blown up on television, and force
them to watch this flick. If they're too jaded by age
ten, then show it to 'em when they're nine, or eight.
Heck, beam it at 'em 'in utero'. The collective message of Frank Capra's films is
frequently misidentified by his critics as a belief that
human beings are all inherently good, and will do good
if given the chance. Such critics like to point out how
dangerously naive that belief is (and they're right),
but Capra's message is more subtle than that: that any
community--a town, a country, or a family--can and
should be based around an unwavering doctrine of
unconditional compassion. Once you have that, you're
protected from this oh-so pragmatic, sensible, and
calculating world. SIDE NOTE: Jean Arthur was the greatest celluloid
combination of knockout sex appeal, smarts, and comic
ability ever, and young girls looking for better role
models than the narcissistic twits personified on film
these days by the likes of Cameron Diaz and Julie Roberts
should check her out in this and other Capra classics.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Film
Review: Of all of the Frank Capra movies that I own (and I own 20 of them), You Can't Take It With You is the one I play the most. James Stewart and Jean Arthur are perfectly cast and the two lovers who come from opposite backgrounds (he from a stuffy family of bankers and she from a carefree family of eccentrics).
Keeping in mind that this is a Depression-era movie, there are a lot of jokes that revolve around money. The scene with the Income Tax collector is hysterical. Some other moments in the film are unrealistic, but heck, this is a Frank Capra and only he could get away with sentimentality without it becoming too mushy.
Highly recommended for people who are James Stewart or Frank Capra fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Let's get some new staff in the Columbia DVD offices!
Review: Of all the beloved Capra classics, this one probably belongs on the bottom of the list. But it's classic all the same, and as such deserves respectful treatment on DVD. This is not the case here! Once again, Columbia is asking us to pay 30 bucks for a horrible DVD-transfer; in fact, the worst one so far among all the black and white releases produced during the last eight months. A year or two ago, one could rest assured that Columbia tried to give us decent or better transfers of their famous film library of the past. That or those persons responsible must have been fired! After 30 minutes of watching this one I felt so cheated and upset that I had to stop the film. The grain is intolerable; the focus is unstable at best; there are scratches and dirt galore (not to mention big black splices), and the sound is muffled and distorted. Not one cent has been spent on trying to preserve and present Mr. Capra's opus in the best possible way. Just look at what Warner has been doing lately with films like "Now, Voyager" and "Mildred Pierce": They sparkle like first class jewels! (And they charge $ 20.00!)The Columbia library could easily shine just as bright - that means, if somebody cared. Hey, Columbia: How about hiring some new people who love those old black and white classics! They sure would be welcome!
Rating:
Summary: It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than This
Review: One of Frank Capra's greatest feats in directing, _You Can't Take It With You_ presents Jean Arthur and Jimmy Stewart at their best. In true Capra form, _You Can't Take It With You_ provides a heavy dose of classic wit, humor, and moral propriety. In league with _It's A Wonderful Life_ and other film classics, _You Can't Take It With You_ remains among my list of all-time favorite movies. You're sure to walk away from watching with a warm, fuzzy feeling about life and an urge to live it to the fullest!
Rating:
Summary: Audio Caveat
Review: One of my favorites but I must rate the DVD edition two star
since, while the videa transcription is near perfect, the audio transcription is very poor and at times not understandable. Frankly, I tossed the DVD and had my VHS transcribed to a disc.
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming Comedy
Review: Recently, I found this movie at my aunt's home and decided to make a go of watching it even though it is black & white. The truth is, soon you absolutely forget that fact and become quite absorbed watching some of the most colorful free spirits you will ever see in an "old" movie. Frank Capra once described a play he saw "whose witchery was so entrancing, wild horses couldn't have dragged me away from the final curtain." This was of course "You Can't Take it With You." The Kaufman-Hart play. In fact, this movie is a bit like a play in some scenes. The story centers around two families. One rich, one poor. The rich family is of course a threat to the entire community as they want to buy up the poor families homes so they can build a factory. In the middle of this business deal, two people fall in love. Tony is the son of a rich businessman and Alice is the only working member of a rather eccentric family. Alice (Jean Arthur) and Tony (Jimmy Stewart) have a warm chemistry that makes you just fall in love with them both and you want them to be together. Of course Tony's snooty mother is as cold as ice and his father is about to make the deal of his life, yet conflicted. Alice's family is a mismatch of creative energy and is the basis for the humor in this story. When Tony takes his parents to Alice's home on the wrong night for dinner, the real fun begins. Just when you think the story can't get any worse for Tony's parents, it gets even more amusing. I laughed out loud plenty of times and it was so unexpected, but well worth the wait. The start of the movie is a little drab, but make yourself plow through the first bit. In the first few scenes in Alice's home, there is a cat. Oh, look for that cat. It is adorable! It is sitting atop the pile of papers next to the typewriter and just as it is getting comfortable, Alice's mother picks up the cat and uses it as a paperweight of sorts to hold down the pile of papers. Anyway, it is quite cute. During the production, Lionel Barrymore was suffering from arthritis, and needed crutches to move around. They worked this nicely into the movie by claiming the character sprained his ankle sliding down the banister. Lionel will have you rolling on the floor yourself as he deals with a very frustrated IRS man and bring you close to tears as he plays the harmonica with his newest friend. A movie everyone should see because it deals with such very human ideas, and well...it is also just hilarious! A timeless classic!
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming Comedy
Review: Recently, I found this movie at my aunt's home and decided to make a go of watching it even though it is black & white. The truth is, soon you absolutely forget that fact and become quite absorbed watching some of the most colorful free spirits you will ever see in an "old" movie. Frank Capra once described a play he saw "whose witchery was so entrancing, wild horses couldn't have dragged me away from the final curtain." This was of course "You Can't Take it With You." The Kaufman-Hart play. In fact, this movie is a bit like a play in some scenes. The story centers around two families. One rich, one poor. The rich family is of course a threat to the entire community as they want to buy up the poor families homes so they can build a factory. In the middle of this business deal, two people fall in love. Tony is the son of a rich businessman and Alice is the only working member of a rather eccentric family. Alice (Jean Arthur) and Tony (Jimmy Stewart) have a warm chemistry that makes you just fall in love with them both and you want them to be together. Of course Tony's snooty mother is as cold as ice and his father is about to make the deal of his life, yet conflicted. Alice's family is a mismatch of creative energy and is the basis for the humor in this story. When Tony takes his parents to Alice's home on the wrong night for dinner, the real fun begins. Just when you think the story can't get any worse for Tony's parents, it gets even more amusing. I laughed out loud plenty of times and it was so unexpected, but well worth the wait. The start of the movie is a little drab, but make yourself plow through the first bit. In the first few scenes in Alice's home, there is a cat. Oh, look for that cat. It is adorable! It is sitting atop the pile of papers next to the typewriter and just as it is getting comfortable, Alice's mother picks up the cat and uses it as a paperweight of sorts to hold down the pile of papers. Anyway, it is quite cute. During the production, Lionel Barrymore was suffering from arthritis, and needed crutches to move around. They worked this nicely into the movie by claiming the character sprained his ankle sliding down the banister. Lionel will have you rolling on the floor yourself as he deals with a very frustrated IRS man and bring you close to tears as he plays the harmonica with his newest friend. A movie everyone should see because it deals with such very human ideas, and well...it is also just hilarious! A timeless classic!
Rating:
Summary: CAPRA CLASSIC
Review: The others are right, five stars is NOT enough for this magic, Amazon really ought to have six stars available for those VERY few truly exceptional films. This is definately one of them! I only wish that I could go back in time and see it for the first time all over again. Perfect.
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