Not at all. In fact, it's one of the few Christmas movies that has a classic timeless quality about it that never seems to fade. Take away the Hollywood cliches, Donna Reed's soft eyes, Jimmy Stewart's stammering earnestness.... What's at the heart of the story? A desperate man who sees his life wasting away and isn't even sure if the deeds he's done have had any meaning. That story could take place not just in New York, but in London, or Hong Kong or Timbuktu for all that matters. It's so universal a truth that Shakespeare or Goethe could have written about it. The year that film was made it was nominated for Best Picture with two of the greatest films ever made, The Best Years Of Our Lives and the film adaptation of Henry V. Would the voters have bothered to put it in such company if they thought it was schmaltzy crap?
