FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

weezeralfalfa Directed by William Wyler, this is a light comedy and drama about the quest for taking accurate polls that involves only a small defined population as being an accurate representative of the whole country. The trick is to find that localized population, and hope it stays that way for some years. Thus, it should ideally be conservative in its growth and change in demographics, or so Jimmy Stewart's character thought.It has its comedic moments, such as the chaotic time when it becomes the destination for many outsiders, who want to move there or give their opinions there. The ups and downs in the relationship between Jimmy Stewart, as the chief pollster and Jane Wyman, head of the movement to make Grandview grow, is amusing. But, to me, the funniest bit is the informal competition between Stewart and Jane in reciting "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (Stewart), and "The Song of Hiawatha"(Jane), simultaneously, to each other. That took some talent!The Middletown sociological study which inspired this screenplay was conducted during the 1920s and '30s, by Robert and Helen Lynd. They searched for and found a town with demographics for the Caucasian residents only, similar to the mean for the US as a whole. About 5% of the population was African Americans, who were excluded. It appears that the study in this screenplay also excluded African Americans, Latinos and Asians, as none were seen among the residents or visitors. Thus, neither the original study nor the polls taken in this screenplay necessarily provided an accurate sample of Americans as a whole. This is even more true today, when African Americans, Latinos and Asians make up about 35% of the population. The 2016 presidential election showed that the great divide between small town plus rural areas, on the one hand, and large cities plus their large suburbs, on the other, was the most significant factor in determining whether Republicans or Democrats carried a region or state. Thus, to conduct a reasonably accurate poll on the presidential candidates would require a minimum of inclusion of representatives of these two populations in their proportion in the US as a whole. Also, in the case of presidential elections, one would have to estimate the number of probable voters in each of these categories for each state, because the number of electors/voters is slightly greater for small population states than for large ones. Thus, although Hilary Clinton won the overall popular vote by a very slim margin, Donald Trump won the electoral vote by a substantial margin, partly because the Democrat votes were more concentrated in the big population states, especially California.Interestingly, after the town people realized that their opinions were being tracked as representative of an ideal town for taking polls, they were asked whether they thought a woman could function satisfactorily as president. 79% responded 'yes'. This was considered an outrageous result. As history has shown, in reality, the nation was far from considering the possibility of a woman president.I don't understand why people confused Grandview as a representative town for taking polls with Grandview as an ideal town to live in or near. This confusion of attributes is what precipitated the chaos after a news report labeled Grandview as the ideal(not typical) American town.See this film in B&W at YouTube.

omalleypa I will comment on this film in general terms and try to avoid spoilers...I have read through a lot of other people's comments and I think many of them missed the point of Magic Town. Yes, it's old-fashioned and a little corny, and yes it's not as good as It's A Wonderful Life, but in my opinion, IAWL is one of the most emotionally-stirring and profound films ever made. I have seen IAWL many times, but have never made it through the final scene without tears!In very simplistic terms IAWL is about the positive effects one person can have on society, without even realizing it, while Magic Town is more about the negative effects one can have on the masses.Someone previously commented "Not a bad person in the whole town".The plot does not focus on purely "bad" people because that would detract from the point of the narrative. In this film, James Stewart is essentially the bad guy! He's selfish, greedy, manipulative and dishonest, and it is his actions, with a little bit of help from Jane Wyman, that cause a chain of events that virtually destroy the fabric of the town. When this happens, these "good" people become pessimistic, lazy and selfish.However, I do agree with some of the other comments, including the one that says "People had to learn the perfect society has to be practiced individually, intentionally and daily for it to become a reality." That is at the core of this film, and it is illustrated beautifully.I won't spoil it for people who haven't seen the film, but I think the way that the main characters turn this situation around is truly brilliant!Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, on its own merits, Magic Town is a truly wonderful film. If you are a fan of IAWL, James Stewart or Jane Wyman - or just a fan of a good stories with depth, darkness, humor, personality and emotion - I recommend it highly.I give it 8/10. (IAWL gets a 9/10.)

jertob I enjoyed seeing this picture again and realised that it was written for a more innocent age and would not be enjoyed by a more sophisticated audience of today. But, if you're into nostalgia and willing to forego your modern day cynicism, you'll delight in seeing this film.

Penfold-13 Stewart's previous movie was "It's a Wonderful Life", and this one drinks from the same well.It has a strong underlying moral about being true to yourself, and extols the virtues of honesty, pride in your small-town community. The town appears to be a microcosm of America, but it can only be that while it still has its innocence: once it tries to cash in on its status, disaster strikes.It's a gentle, heartwarming little movie. Jimmy Stewart and the then Mrs Reagan do the romantic lead bits, and lots of people with "interesting" faces play "typical small town characters", the children manage to avoid being ridiculously cute, and it's all quite charming.Watch out for the Senator's wife and the ancient employees of the newspaper, who are the most obviously funny characters. This may be billed as a comedy, but it's one to be amused by, and brings smiles to you face rather than guffaws and belly-laughs.If you liked James Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Philadelphia Story", this one's for you.