You Can't Take It with You (1938)
January 23, 2023 12:31 PM - Subscribe

[TRAILER] Sweet-natured Alice Sycamore (Jean Arthur) falls for banker's son Tony Kirby (James Stewart). But when she invites her snooty prospective in-laws to dinner to give their blessing to the marriage, Alice's peculiar extended family -- including philosophical grandfather Martin Vanderhof (Lionel Barrymore), hapless fledgling ballerina sister Essie (Ann Miller) and fireworks enthusiast father, Paul (Samuel S. Hinds) -- might be too eccentric for the staid Kirbys.

Directed by Frank Capra. Screenplay by Robert Riskin, based on the 1936 stage play of the same name by George Kaufman and Moss Hart.

95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently available in the US for digital rental. JustWatch listing.
posted by DirtyOldTown (5 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Even more Frank Capra.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:43 PM on January 23, 2023


I don't trust anyone who doesn't fall at least a little in love with Jean Arthur.

Robbie Fulks has a good song about her.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:56 PM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


The play this movie was based on has a sweet spot in my heart because I was in it in the ninth grade. Years later I took my teenaged kids to see it on Broadway (with James Earl Jones and Rose Byrne, with Annaleigh Ashford as Essie) and I tried to brace them for it by explaining that although it would seem like a creaky antique, it was in fact the ur-template for every multi-camera TV situation comedy for over fifty years: living room, eccentric family, "boss is coming to dinner -- on the wrong night!" etc. I assumed they would hate it, but they loved it. The movie is great too.
posted by How the runs scored at 3:00 PM on January 23, 2023 [3 favorites]


Oh, Jean Arthur.

_The More the Merrier_ is my favorite of hers. I think.
posted by clew at 4:51 PM on January 23, 2023


I played Ed in a high school production of this, 31 years ago now. I suppose this is as good a time as any to finally watch the movie.
posted by emelenjr at 11:09 AM on January 24, 2023 [2 favorites]


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