When we sat down to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life,” we expected just another boring, long Christmas movie. Instead, we now understand why “It’s a Wonderful Life” has won a Golden Globe award and is still a favorite classic 68 years later.

The story begins with angels retelling the life of George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, a man who gives up his own dreams again and again to help the people of his town. The wealthiest man in town, Mr. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, tries to shut down Bailey’s business because of its success. After Bailey thinks he suddenly loses the family business, he decides the only way out is through suicide. The angel Clarence, trying to earn his wings, visits Bailey and shows him what the world would look like if George had never been born.

The cast plays off each other throughout the movie without any visible flaws. Both Stewart and Donna Reed, who plays Bailey’s wife, seemed like a real life couple who joked around but would really “lasso the moon for each other.” Clarence, played by Henry Travers, provided a light-hearted, comedic feel when Bailey was at his lowest.

The movie lasted more than 120 minutes, but was not overbearingly long. The storyline was engaging and well developed with genuine humor and real life challenges. The main character has a temper which catches up to him toward the end of the film. The movie never had a moment where the viewer would be bored because even when the stars were not on screen, the supporting actors dominated the scene.

The movie aired in 1946 but has a timeless feel and universal themes of family, selflessness and struggle. The film was originally produced in black and white but has since been colorized. After watching a portion of each version of the film, we decided the black and white version goes better with the feel of the movie. The colorized version looked fine, but did not follow the old timey feel of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Watchers will leave the theater with the thought that this really is a wonderful life and with a warm feeling like a sip of hot chocolate. This is a movie for all ages and is perfect for family night. The movie takes place around Christmastime but does not focus on the season. This movie encircles more than just the Christmas spirit and can be watched all year round.

Hollywood 16 in Amarillo will show “It’s a Wonderful Life” Christmas Eve at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets cost $6.25 for the 2 p.m. showing and $7.75 for students at the night showing.

Trivia fact: In one of the scenes, the backstage crew accidently dropped an item and created a loud crash. The actor Thomas Mitchell, who played Uncle Billy, covered up the mistake to keep from having to film the scene again.

See what you know about this classic with a trivia quiz.