Some things simply get better with age, while others only become more poignant. In the case of the 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life, both are true. What was a box office flop when it was released has since become a longstanding holiday staple. The story of George Bailey, played by the incomparable James Stewart, is a tale of redemption and gratitude as he finds himself ready to end it all on Christmas Eve. Whoa! You talkin’ suicide? Christmas? Where the hell is the holiday cheer in that? Well, before you get your knickers in a bunch, it gets better. Whoa, no spoiler alert? OMFG, can we just … anyway. Before George can take the leap that would end it all forever, he is given a rare opportunity to see what it would be like had he never been born. Whoa, whoa, you sayin’ this is a Christmas movie about suicide and abortion? Because I’m not here for that bullcrap. For the love of Old Saint Nick, will you please just shut up? What he finds is that the greatest gift of all is not a PS5 or, like, AirPods, but life itself. Nothing? Well, in that case pass the friggin’ tissues.
Screenings begin at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10 and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Redford Theatre; 17360 Lahser Rd., Detroit; 313-537-2560; redfordtheatre.com. Tickets are $5.
