You Can't Take It With You Details

Rich man, poor man...

Frank Kapra's 1938 film, "You Can't Take it with You" may have won Best Picture, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" or everyone's favourite, "It's a Wonderful Life." Though I don't doubt that both of those later films benefited from Kapra having directed this one first, this is obviously the trial run, and those are the finished product.

The film obviously has the Kapra trademark: tyrannical businessmen vs. good, plain folks. That isn't enough to save it. "You Can't..." may be of some interest to die-hard Kapra fans, or Jimmy Stewart buffs, but its yet another reminder that the Oscar gold is no guarantee of lasting quality.

As a long-term Frank Capra fan, I have recently started seeking out the few films that have slipped through my web. This was one such piece. I found it disappointing, full of screwball characters whom supposedly are liberated but often come across as annoying. The film does pick up in the third act but insufficiently to drag it into the hallowed status of so much of this great director's work. I'd only really recommend it for completists such as myself as there are much better films of the same period using the same talent, e.g. "Mr Smith goes to Washington".