It's a Wonderful Life poster

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It's a Wonderful Life

1946 · Movie · 130 min

Every rating

Platform pages last read 30 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

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73–96 out of 100

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Lowest is Criticker on 73, highest is Google on 96.

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A compassionate man from a small town has repeatedly sacrificed his personal dreams and ambitions for the good of others. Facing a grave crisis that threatens his family and his community standing, he falls into despair and wishes he had never been born. A celestial guide is sent to show him what the world would have been like without him, revealing the profound, unseen impact of a single life.

Details

Director
Frank Capra
Based on
The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern
Released
20 December 1946
Country
United States
Language
English, French
Runtime
130 min
Rated
PG
Budget
$3.2M
Box office
$9.6M
Awards
1 win, 5 nominations

This title elsewhere

James Stewart

James Stewart

George Bailey

Donna Reed

Donna Reed

Mary Hatch

Lionel Barrymore

Lionel Barrymore

Mr. Potter

Thomas Mitchell

Thomas Mitchell

Uncle Billy

Henry Travers

Henry Travers

Clarence

Beulah Bondi

Beulah Bondi

Mrs. Bailey

Frank Faylen

Frank Faylen

Ernie

Ward Bond

Ward Bond

Bert

Awards & nominations

See all 6 →

1 win from 6 nominations across 6 ceremonies

Best Actor 1946 — James Stewart Lost to Fredric March – The Best Years of Our Lives Nominee
Best Director 1946 — Frank Capra Lost to William Wyler – The Best Years of Our Lives Nominee
Best Film Editing 1946 — William Hornbeck Lost to Daniel Mandell – The Best Years of Our Lives Nominee
Best Picture 1946 — Liberty Films Lost to Samuel Goldwyn Productions – The Best Years of Our Lives Nominee
Best Sound Recording 1946 — John Aalberg Lost to John P. Livadary – The Jolson Story Nominee
Technical Achievement Award 1946 — Russell Shearman and RKO Radio Studio Special Effects Dept. For the development of a new method of simulating falling snow on motion picture sets. Winner

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.