KJ Apa’s James Stewart biopic takes a sentimental, conventional approach

KJ Apa plays James Stewart in a biopic focused on the actor’s decision to serve in the US military during the Second World War and the effects of combat on his return to Hollywood. The film presents his service as a defining thread in his life, leading into his role in It’s a Wonderful Life, but its conventional, sentimental approach leaves little room for complexity.

Apa gives a solid impression of Stewart’s distinctive voice and physical mannerisms, particularly in scenes of emotional distress. The film begins after Stewart won the best actor Oscar for The Philadelphia Story in 1941: despite an executive’s offer to make his draft notice disappear, Stewart chose to serve as a bomber pilot and squadron captain. He loses men under his command, struggles with guilt and what the review describes as PTSD, and later returns to acting with encouragement from director Frank Capra.