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You Can't Take it with You

Oscar™ Best Picture - Winning Movies

You Can't Take it With You

1938

Frank Capra

James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, Edward Arnold ...

8.1

8,857

Comedy The stenographer Alice Sycamore is in love with her boss Tony Kirby, who is the vice-president of the powerful company owned by his greedy father Anthony P. Kirby. Kirby Sr. is dealing a monopoly in the trade of weapons, and needs to buy one last house in a twelve block area owned by Alice's grandparent Martin Vanderhof. However, Martin is the patriarch of an anarchic and eccentric family where the members do not care for money but for ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Roy Chartier Variety	"The tempo is generally fast and there are no sudden spurts or sharp letdowns (...) The comedy is wholly American, wholesome, homespun, human, appealing, and touching in turn."	POS
United States	Noel Murray AV Club	"[It] is an upbeat, uplifting film, but with some darker shadings (...) Stewart’s adorable mumbling and Arthur’s affectionate barbs are so un-slick and un-Hollywood that they still feel fresh and engaging even now"	POS
United States	Frank S. Nugent The New York Times	"None of [the characters are] quite so funny (...) but they are far more likable, far more human (...) It's a grand picture, which will disappoint only the most superficial admirers of the play."	POS
United Kingdom	Brian Case Time Out	"Mostly the picture is a damp squib, trite, preachy, and desperately sincere (...) The cast is appealing, particularly Stewart and Arthur, but it's not enough"	NEG
United Kingdom	Adrian Turner Radio Times	"The movie contains wonderful performances (...) If it is a touch overlong, that is a minor fault considering the vast comic talent on display (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle	"Impeccable timing and idiosyncratic delivery [by Jean Arthur] (...) The pace is fast and furious and the scales tip quite forcefully on the side of living for the moment"	POS
United States	Kate Cameron New York Daily News	"It’s good fun all the way through Alice’s affair with Banker Kirby’s son (...) The comedy moves smoothly and briskly under Capra’s canny method of direction."	POS
United States	Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"There are still some laughs and entertainment to be found here, but forget about fidelity to the original."	NEU

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