okay movie, poor remake

I watched this movie a week or so ago on PAX. I hadn't seen the original in many years, so I wasn't comparing every detail. I felt like it was a good movie, but so many things could have made it better. For example, by the point Mary is contemplating jumping off the bridge, the movie only had 45 minutes left with commercials. They spent too much time on background information and waited to long for this turning point. It was not believable for Mary to want to take her own life. We barely had time to digest the idea that the money was missing before she was on that ledge. She had children (even though we hardly see them) and a good life. She has money troubles for one day and thinks about suicide? I don't buy it.

Mr. Potter was very evil, perhaps moreso than the original. I found it hard to watch such a vile man ruining her life for his own pleasure and gain. It's one thing to be a lonely old man taking it out on the world, it's another to be pure evil and hurt everyone around you just for the hell of it.

There was not enough buildup of Mary's relationship with George. The dancing/pool scene seemed like it was thrown in there to fill up space, not explain the beginning of their relationship. Also, in the alternative universe, he was a creep and that was weird to see. We don't know much about him. This could easily be part of his real personality and we'd never know it.

I enjoyed Marlo Thomas and this movie, but I felt it could have been better. Perhaps if it detoured from the original a bit more than swapping a woman for a man, it would have been more enjoyable, like a new take on It's a Wonderful Life, instead of an outright copy. Many other movies/TV shows have explored the question 'what would the world be like if I never existed?' successfully. Of course the original started this trend, but it's still possible to do it well without relying on the original for ideas. If they ran with that theme, it could have been a better movie. In other words, It's A Wonderful Life is the superior film.

Tomorrow's just your future yesterday!