by Chris Marshall:
Frank Capra did it again with this one. He also directed
1934’s winner, It Happened One Night,
which was a masterpiece. You Can’t Take
It with You doesn’t quite reach the same level of quality, but it is once
again a fun, endearing watch.
With Capra, you always know what you’re going to get:
sentimental, heartwarming fare for the entire family. But he shouldn’t be
remembered exclusively for schmaltz; he was a master of economical
storytelling.
Here’s the set-up. Rich banker (Jimmy Stewart) is canoodling
with middle-class secretary (Jean Arthur). The banker’s snooty mother walks in
and turns her nose up in disapproval. Secretary goes home to her eccentric, fun-loving,
carefree household. Rich banker proposes, but she won’t accept until she knows
his parents approve. Boom! In three easy steps, your plot is laid out for you.
This isn’t to say there weren’t more complicated developments.
Even though it was so easy to see it coming, I LOLed at the plotline in which
the secretary’s father, a fireworks maker, decides to send out samples of his
work along with a red promotional card reading “The revolution is coming!” The
confusion (and arrest) that follows sets up the third act, and while you see it
playing out so far advance, it’s still very satisfying when everything comes to
a head.
