Written by: Robert Riskin
Starring: Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward Arnold, Mischa Auer, Ann Miller
Rating: [4/5]
When marrying another person, the act exists as more than just two individuals building a connection but also two families coming together in unison. At times this may come as a seamless process, but the one we see in You Can’t Take It with You displays just how rocky things can get. Harnessing the charm one could expect from a Frank Capra film, this touching tale about the ills of greed and a heartwarming little love story.
Seeking to take complete control and to build a monopoly in the munitions industry, Anthony P. Kirby (Edward Arnold) has one house standing in his way and refuses his offer to buy owned by Martin Vanderhof (Lionel Barrymore). As he attempts to close out his deal he remains unaware his son and eventual heir Tony (James Stewart) plans to marry a stenographer (Alice Sycamore), who happens to live in the same home as the stubborn Vanderhof.
Frank Capra never shies away from the messages he wants to imbue into his films and they typically carry a resounding positive idea of the ideal people should operate for a fulfilling life. His filmography comes with plenty of these to take in You Can’t Take It with You being no different. While speaking about the evils of greed, this feature takes a more refined approach in what it wants to present in how it speaks on the idea of pursuing what one loves outside of the monetary ends one could have. We see this with the difference between the households of Vanderhof and Kirby to a humorous degree.
The Kirbys have this prototypical big-money family dynamic where Tony does what his father asks and he will inherit the company but the larger question looms of whether or not he truly enjoys what he does. The Vanderhof household views things in a drastically different manner that even begins to spread. This transpires when Vanderhof makes his way to Kirby’s office to receive an offer on his property and he even convinces one of the workers whose job is to simply make sure numbers add up to quit and pursue his dream of creating things. This divide only becomes clearer when we get to his home and you have a whole host of individuals just living out their passions with no rhyme or reason other than because they want to. This proves most evident with Vanderhof’s wife who just types on her typewriter simply because she received one and not for the sake of making any semblance of a profit on it.
This difference between the two families causes the main friction when we get back to the couple of Tony and Alice where the latter has grave concerns the former’s family will not like hers. Certainly, a belief that carries merit on her part but the overall sweetness of their relationship carries this beauty between them helped on because Jean Arhur and James Stewart work well with each other. Stewart, in particular, brings his boy scout sensibilities to this role in helping make Tony a character to care for. Arthur, however, stands out amongst the jubilant crowd as she does most of the emotional labor this feature has to offer with her nervousness about the gelling of the two families and how it impacts the way she views her relationship with Kirby. She has some distinctly powerful scenes in this film, especially when we arrive at the court scene that truly depicts the importance of what it means to combine families and the foundational elements that must exist if any shot exists in making this relationship work long-term.
As much as this feature operates with the dynamic of these two families, it still contains plenty of laughs. Everything happening in Vanderhof’s household is genuinely hilarious. From the basement to the rambunctious living space where we have individuals dancing, typing, and trying out experiences. There’s plenty of humor that can be found in the similarities and differences found here that make the sudden moments of seriousness feel all the more starker and important in the context of how this impacts the characters. The franticness remains a feature, not a bug of this film.
Containing its own beautiful message about community when it comes to what Vanderhof represents to his neighbors in comparison to the Kirbys, You Can’t Take it With You works as a jubilant good time. It features all of the aspects of what makes for an enjoyable Frank Capra film through its messaging but also the way these characters learn and evolve from their experience. Through it, we get some fun performances by a strong cast that make these whacky moments all the more fun to watch as we see these two families come together despite the major differences we see between them at the beginning of the film. As heartwarming as it gets.
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