Overview
A beggar's charm and a bootlegger's luck intertwine in a heartwarming tale of deception and transformation.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- sentimental
- capricious
- classic movie night
- holiday viewing
What critics said
Critics generally found the film warm, funny, and well served by its character actors, while considering its sentimental plot dated, overlong, and uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Dave, Queenie, and their associates transform Apple Annie into the society woman her daughter imagines her to be.
Dave the Dude and his Runyonesque cronies use their influence to protect Annie and engineer her social rescue.
Annie's crisis is resolved through increasingly fortuitous assistance from Dave, Queenie, and the downtown community.
The plot presents downtown New York, old Broadway, gangsters, peddlers, and cronies as a shared mythic neighborhood.
Films like Pocketful of Miracles, and why
Lady for a Day
shared Capraesque warmth, social masquerade, sentimental comedy, and benevolent criminal characters
The Lady Eve
shared screwball energy, class deception, romantic complications, and New York criminal underworld atmosphere
My Fair Lady
shared makeover fantasy, cross-class romance, witty social performance, and feel-good transformation
It's a Wonderful Life
shared holiday warmth, idealistic community intervention, and sentimental ensemble storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- Frank Capra
- Release Date
- 1961-12-18
- Runtime
- 136 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (189)
Cast
- Glenn Ford
- Bette Davis
- Hope Lange
- Arthur O'Connell
- Peter Falk
- Thomas Mitchell
- Edward Everett Horton
- Mickey Shaughnessy
- David Brian
- Sheldon Leonard
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Pocketful of Miracles about?
- A luck-haunted New York peddler receives an extravagant makeover from a kindly gangster and his colorful allies before her aristocratic daughter comes home.
- What is Pocketful of Miracles like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Pocketful of Miracles as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Pocketful of Miracles violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Pocketful of Miracles.
- What did critics think of Pocketful of Miracles?
- Critics generally found the film warm, funny, and well served by its character actors, while considering its sentimental plot dated, overlong, and uneven.
- Which films are like Pocketful of Miracles?
- Films with a similar feel include Lady for a Day, The Lady Eve, My Fair Lady, and It's a Wonderful Life.
- How long is Pocketful of Miracles?
- Pocketful of Miracles runs 136 minutes.
- Where can I watch Pocketful of Miracles?
- In United States, Pocketful of Miracles streams on Amazon Prime Video, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
