Bring on the tough stuff. There’s not just one right answer.
- What if you cut out the plot around Mr. Kirby trying to buy the house, and instead focused on the young lover's romance, as the original play did? How would that change the film? Would it be improved or weakened? Why?
- What if Grandpa Vanderhof were a woman (Grandma Vanderhof)? How would that change the play?
- Is the film supportive of democracy? Why or why not? How does the income tax scene play into that? What about the courtroom scenes?
- There are a lot of people living in Grandpa Vanderhof's house. What does this show about him? Who would you drop from the house first, if you had to trim two characters?
- You Can't Take It With You has some similarities with Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Who gets the part of Scrooge? Is the message of the ghosts the same as the message of the Vanderhofs, or are there differences?