You Can't Take It With You
Director: Frank Capra
Year Released: 1938
Rating: 3.5
This may be in black and white (and neutered from its source play), but deep down it's all Red. The son (James Stewart) of a cruel capitalist (Samuel Hinds) falls in love with the granddaughter (Jean Arthur) of an eccentric (Lionel Barrymore) who keeps a house full of artists ... only to find out that the capitalist wants to buy the eccentric's home for some mega-blockbuster land deal. This one's so out in the open about its politics it's hard to deny George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's (strongly) leftist leanings that not even Hollywoodizing it can neuter its message about the need to live one's life as freely as possible, to embrace the arts and to not exploit people (Barrymore runs a virtual commune). Stewart and Arthur are positively delightful together, but Barrymore's the real stunner: he delights in his daughter's artistry, he doesn't mind the xylophone playing and he isn't bothered by the fireworks. It's better than an office.
