Holiday Classics: It's a Wonderful Life Ring your bell when an angel gets his wings and enjoy this quintessential holiday classic with your family, friends, and neighbors. Frank Capra directs this enduring ode to small-town life that is not only one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time, but also one of the greatest. After facing financial ruin, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) meets his bumbling guardian angel, who shows him what his town would have been like if he had never been born.