Going My Way, 1944 (Grade D)

Director: Leo McCarey
Starring: Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald
Awards: Lots of Academy Award
IMDB Link:  Going My Way

sez says: hokey schmaltz, darling this is not my cup of tea! Fitzgerald does create a character which has become iconic for its type --so I guess that is something to see. And, maybe some folks like this sort of music--but not me.  Or, possibly you can glean some vaguely  interesting discussion out of thinking about why this might have appealed to Americans during the depths of WW2.  It says: Going to church can be good for you and it might even make you happy but you don't have to go to church to be good ... AND the greatest happiness can be found in doing good for others.  Nice sentiment, and it is great materiel for a sermon--but not so much for a movie. GRADE D  in my book / no doubt a legit higher mark from some one else.  

mjc says:  this is the kind stuff that gives religion a bad name--so completely divorced from reality.  Although, I have to say, when I was in and out of parishes in New York in the 1960s there were rectories that felt just like the one pictured here.  Of course, what was going on in those rectories is another thing altogether.  Anyway, I guess Bing was a huge star in those days and everyone was looking for relief from the horrors of war.