187. The Best Years of Our Lives

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Director: William Wyler

Starring: Fredrich March

Myrna Loy

Theresa Wright

Dana Andrews

Harold Russell

IMDb Rating: 8

My Rating: 7

"You know. I had a dream. I dreamt I was home. I've had that same dream hundreds of times before. This time, I wanted to find out if it's really true. Am I really home?"

Three men returning from World War II, head home to Boone City (a fictional city that is patterned after Cincinnati, Ohio) to continue their lives where they left off. The first night home, all three men end up meeting at a local bar. It becomes very prevalent that family man Al Stephenson (Fredrich March) has an alcohol problem. His wife Milly (Myrna Loy) takes the caretaker role, where she appears to be patient, yet slightly embarrassed. Al's daughter Peggy (Theresa Wright) is also along for the evening, and she immediately takes a liking to Army Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews). Derry is having trouble adjusting to being home with his rather shallow wife Marie (Virginia Mayo). The third serviceman Homer (Harold Russell) has lost both of his hands in the war. While he has adjusted well to his disability, his family around him is just learning how to deal with it. Added to Homer's stress is the insecurities he feels when around his girlfriend. The rest of the film progresses to show to trials and tribulations of returning to civilian life after war.

The Best Years of Our Lives highest points come from two of it's story lines. Homer's struggle with self confidence due to his disability and the budding romance between married Fred Derry and Peggy Stephenson. These two aspects are really what makes this film watchable. While they are good, they at times seem very dragged out. I am usually a fan of getting the complete story from my films, but it did feel a little too extensive. Otherwise, these two stories, along with it's performances, really anchor this film.

As you could probably guess, I was actually not a huge fan of this film. I don't feel that it has held up well over the years, as some of the films from it's time have. Although, there are issues that you can relate to today's society with alcoholism and the struggle with a new disability. I just found the film to be more of a time piece, than an excellent film. It also drags on much longer than it really should. It feels almost like an episode of Father Knows Best with just a little more edge. It's not the worst film I have watched so far on the list, but it's very far from the best. Overall, I really wouldn't recommend spending your time on this film.