Bale as George Bailey. When he tells the the angel that he wishes he were never born and comes back to see the town as a cesspool, he is too short sighted to unmake that wish, and instead, through fists of guile, begins the long road to clean the town up. Sadly, several years later when the task of clean-up is complete, he realizes he had a family in a former reality, and is unable to find the angel for any help.
Michael Caine is the ambivalent, drunk angel.
Thank you to Seth Rogers for this one, via the facebook page.