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Rating: 5 out of 5
I want to propose a question. What is more important to you in life: money or family? You might think that you can have both. You can be happily rich and have a great family also. You could, as many people have great families and wealth. I may have proposed the question wrong. What if you were poor and met a rich person, and y’all hit it off. Things are great, but your family is eccentric, and your partner comes from money and looks down on people because of their wealth. Would you stay with the person because y’all have chemistry or stick with your family because no matter what, they knew you before wealth and still love you as you are broke?
I brought this up because I had a minor epiphany after watching You Can’t Take It with You. The film was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1936 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Directed by Frank Capra and starring Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, and Edward Arnold, You Can’t Take It with You is about a couple whose families look at life in different ways. Towards the end of the film, you will look at your family differently and maybe make changes to live a happy and exciting life with them.
Anthony P. Kirby (Arnold) is a successful, wealthy, and ruthless banker who has returned from Washington, D.C. His trip to D.C. was successful as he was granted a government-sanctioned munitions monopoly, which would make him Rockefeller rich. Dude has dollar signs in his eyes and will stop at nothing to get it. Kirby has his own company, Kirby and Company, which buys up all the properties in a specific neighborhood. Everyone has sold to them except one. That one is held by Martin Vanderhof (Barrymore), a happy family man who has lived in his home for years and lives with his wife, daughter, son-in-law, two granddaughters, grandson-in-law, and a few other people in the community. On the outside, Martin doesn’t look like he has a lot, but he is the wealthiest person in the world, free of life’s pressures, and beloved in the community. Martin won’t sell his home to anyone or anything.
Mr. Kirby’s son, Tony (Stewart), is a vice president of his family company but is in love with his secretary, Alice Sycamore (Arthur), who is Martin Vanderhof’s granddaughter. When Tony proposes, Alice worries that her family’s eccentric ways would be a problem as she is the “normal” one. Even though they are madly in love, differences between their families soon arise. Tony’s mother is majorly against the union, as she thinks Alice and her family are below their standards. Things come ahead when the family gets together for dinner. The philosophies of ideas, life, and wealth between the two families are put to the test.
You Can’t Take It with You is an awesome movie and a great message. I highly recommend this film to anyone. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised and entertained. The story was everything you want in a movie that will make you think and appreciate life. The story has an interesting set-up with a wealthy banker buying up property and getting all the properties, but one belongs to Grandpa Vanderhof. When we are first introduced to Grandpa Vanderhof, he walks into Kirby’s bank and meets one of the workers. He also states that the person can come to his house, but he won’t sell. The Vanderhof household is a WILD bunch, with everyone enjoying what they are passionate about while running their own businesses. Some of the major characters of this household are Essie, one of Martin’s granddaughters who makes and sells candy, along with her husband Ed Carmichael, who is a musician and printer. Their father, Paul, spends his time in the basement with his boy, making fireworks and doing many other things. This is the main reason Grandpa Vanderhof won’t sell his property; he loves his family and community. This is one part of the story.
The second part or aspect of the story is the relationship between Alice and Tony. As stated earlier, Tony is a VP of his family business, and Alice is his secretary, but they are in love. Tony seems level-headed and doesn’t care where Alice comes from. Alice is the level-headed person of her family. One scene that is funny is when Tony and Alice go and have dinner with Tony’s uptight parents. First, Tony and Alice go to the park and have a dance, but when a group of kids come around, they play music and dance before the cops roll up. When they head to dinner at an upscale restaurant, Tony makes a screaming noise to get out of the restaurant by saying he saw a mouse.
When the Kirbys come over to the Vanderhof’s place, disaster hits. First, Mrs. Kirby bitches and moans about the place and why they must be down with common folks. The dinner is okay when one of the Vanderhof clan comes, lifts Mr. Kirby on his back, and spins him around. It is a crazy scene. Things get even worse when the Kirbys try to leave, but everyone is arrested because Ed made flyers for Independence Day promotion, which had the words “the revolution is coming.” He should get set up with Korg from the MCU.
The most important message of this film comes when Mr. Kirby and Grandpa Vanderhof are held in the drunk tank before seeing the night-court judge. While the two speak, Mr. Kirby talks about money, but Grandpa Vanderhof drops some major knowledge and life-altering life on Mr. Kirby. Grandpa Vanderhof talks about his views and how life should be about the ones you love, serving, and improving the community. Grandpa Vanderhof continues by saying that no matter how much money you have, you can’t take it with you when you pass away and that friendships are what is best in the world. It is so true and eye-opening. It made me rethink my goals because, in the end, I can’t take my money or anything tangible to the next life. Thank you for the life advice and words of wisdom, Grandpa Vanderhof.
The court hearing is hilarious. The judge seems like a chill dude and is fair to everyone. When the Kirby’s walk in, they are surrounded by a team of lawyers. When the Vanderhof walks in, they are greeted by cheers and all their friends. During the hearing, Mrs. Kirby rips on Alice, and she isn’t shit for her son. The judge allows Grandpa and his family to settle the charges of disturbing the peace and making illegal fireworks by paying a $100 fine. You see the friendship and community come together as they pitch in to pay their fine. What I also love about this scene is that Alice goes off on the Kirby’s and Tony. She lets them have it.
The film’s conclusion is simple but powerful, as Grandpa Vanderhof’s words about Mr. Kirby seem to strike a nerve, like Scrooge meeting the three ghosts. Dude completely changes his mindset, and the pair share a moment where they play the harmonica together. Mr. Kirby even gets payback on one of the Vanderhof clan members. You couldn’t help but smile.
I want to give a major shout-out to Frank Capra for directing this film. Capra won the Best Director award at the Academy Awards. What is even more impressive is that this was Capra’s third Oscar for Best Director in five years. He also won for It Happened One Night and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. In sports, we call that a dynasty.
You Can’t Take It With You is a fantastic movie for everyone to watch. It has a great story that will make you think of your own life and priorities. Friendship over everything else, but pick the right friends. In the end, we can’t take any tangible items with us once we are gone. We can only take our memories.
