The Time of Your Life (1948)

By all rights, The Time of Your Life really shouldn't work as a film. Almost the entire action of the play occurs on one set, which usually is an anathema to the cinema. It's filled with dialogue that is heightened and artificial, which is difficult to pull off onscreen, and the plotless character study features a cipher at its center, which often leaves a big hole in the middle of a film. Yet, in Time, the limited setting doesn't feel stodgy and confined, thanks to subtle little tricks by master cinematographer James Wong Howe; the unrealistic dialogue comes across as flavorful, thanks to the expert cast that handles it with commitment and care; and James Cagney projects such warmth and overflowing humanity that most viewers won't realize -- or care -- that they know essentially nothing about the character that holds the entire movie together. "Warm" and "human" also apply to the movie as a whole, which is one of the most joyous expressions of life one is likely to encounter; joyous, but not cloyingly sentimental. While the work finds the good, the brave, and the admirable in its characters, there's still a thin vein of melancholy running underneath that enriches it considerably. As noted, James Cagney's performance is crucial, but the entire cast is splendid, with exemplary work from William Bendix, Jeanne Cagney, James Barton, and Wayne Morris, among others. The ending, altered from William Saroyan's original, is a bit out of place, but this doesn't keep Time from being a delightful, engaging, and thoroughly appealing film experience. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide