It offers, in the performance of nutcracker-faced, 56-year-old Barry Fitzgerald, the finest, funniest and most touching portrayal of old age that has yet reached the screen.
Going My Way (1944)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 19
Fresh: 15
Rotten:4
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Consensus: Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald are eminently likable, and film is pleasantly sentimental, but it suffers from a surplus of sweetness.
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Synopsis: Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley (Bing Crosby) led a colorful life of sports, song, and romance before joining the Roman Catholic clergy, but his level gaze and twinkling eyes make it clear that he... Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley (Bing Crosby) led a colorful life of sports, song, and romance before joining the Roman Catholic clergy, but his level gaze and twinkling eyes make it clear that he knows he made the right choice. After joining a parish, O'Malley's worldly knowledge helps him connect with a gang of kids looking for direction and handle the business details of the church-building fund, winning over his aging, conventional superior (Barry Fitzgerald). Songs such as "Swinging on a Star" sparkle, and both Crosby and Fitzgerald do a fine job tugging at the heartstrings in a gentle, irresistible way that will make viewers return to this lovely film again and again. The overwhelming popularity of this film upon its release was only heightened by the many Academy Awards it won, and its sequel, THE BELLS OF SAINT MARY'S, starring Crosby and Ingrid Bergman, was released in theaters the next year to eager fans and more awards. [More]
Starring: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh, James Brown
Starring: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh, James Brown, June Lockhart, Rise Stevens, William Frawley, Jean Heather, Porter Hall
Director: Leo McCarey
Director: Leo McCarey
Producer: Leo McCarey
Composer: Robert Emmett Dolan
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Reviews for Going My Way
Feel-good religious drama wasn't going my way, but it's hard to resist such good-hearted schmaltz.
Major thread of gaiety runs through the proceedings, and McCarey has liberally sprinkled sparkling individual episodes along the way for cinch audience reaction.
Glossy escapist entertainment that's fun to watch but says nothing terribly noteworthy about the human condition.
A sentimental crowd-pleaser, well-directed by Le McCarey, this tale about a priest (Bing Crosby) assigned to a problematic parish was so popular that Paramount reteamed the same players the following year in the equally successful Bells of St. Mary's.
Leo McCarey's light direction of this well-acted comedy makes it perfectly watchable
Even though I love a good family film now and then, this was too much even for me. It was like having a root canal of cream filling.
It is so well directed by McCarey and played with such a sure touch that it just manages to avoid sermonizing or oversentimentality.
Overly corny, this feel-good musical is delightful in its naivety, even for the time.
How come filmmakers 50 years ago could do sentiment without going all sappy, and we can't do that now?
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