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Pretty Good

Lack of good storyline.

Absolutely the worst movie.

The acting in this movie is really good.

'Going My Way' is an immensely likable film and very easy to be charmed by. Should it have won Best Picture? That's debatable in a year with films like 'Double Indemnity', 'Laura' and 'Gaslight', but there are worse Best Picture winners around before and after.The romance does bog the film down a little and could have been developed more, and the scenes with the inner-city street urchins transforming into angelic choir boys are a bit cheesy and suspending of disbelief is somewhat needed. Despite being a long film and a film that moves slowly and takes its time to unfold (things that may alienate some), they didn't come over as problems at all because the emotions all through the story and the winning performances make 'Going My Way' so engrossing.Bing Crosby has never been better dramatically, appealing street-wise and likable, and as ever his voice is beautiful and mellow, the kind of voice you can listen to for hours and not get tired of it, particularly in the Oscar-winning song "Swinging on a Star". Barry Fitzgerald's peppery and charmingly twinkling performance is also among his best, along with 'And Then There Were None' and 'The Quiet Man'. Love the chemistry between the two of them too. Rise Stevens brings some affecting heart and mystery, and as ever sings with an angelic richness, the film also sees a glimpse of the role she was most famous for for very good reason in "Habanera" from Bizet's 'Carmen'.It's a lovely-looking film visually, with a real elegance and it's beautifully photographed too. The music is wonderful, especially "Swinging on a Star" and "Habanera" and "Ave Maria" are effectively utilised. The story is incredibly moving and makes one feel good, while the direction is focused for a long film with a number of plot strands and the script expertly balances humour, charm, heart and pathos.In summary, while not my pick for Best Picture that year there is definitely a lot of love for 'Going My Way'. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I finally made it to the end of this movie. I have tried for 50 years. I can forgive sappy. I enjoy lighthearted but this movie is simply stupid. It's funny how at least "The Bells of St. Mary's" had some dramatic conflict. Bing is okay, boring, and Barry is too cute for words. And this script has not a clever or unexpected scene. I understand that in the 1940s there was a need for some escapism, but there was "Meet Me in St. Louis" that year. And though I never cared for "Cover Girl" at least it moves. This is maybe the worst Best Picture winner, though "Gladiator" comes close. I am not Catholic, perhaps that is it. And I am also not an atheist though this movie seriously makes me reconsider that.

Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley 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, Father Fitzgibbon.So, this is a role Bing Crosby had a few times... and it seems odd, a man who liked to golf with gangsters playing a Catholic priest. But maybe that makes sense, especially for the kind of priest he plays. He sees the value in helping the downtrodden and "lesser" members of society. That is a true hero.This also happens to be a very musical film, again not surprising given Bing's history. But in it we also mix street kids singing, an opera and even a classic Irish song.

It may be silly, sentimental hokum, but as Christmas movies go, it just doesn't get any better than "Going My Way." Bing Crosby is the world's perfect priest, paragon of virtue Father Charles O'Malley, Barry Fitzgerald its most lovable and the story that drives this film makes you wish it was all true. It isn't of course. It's fantasy of the most fantastic kind, a feel-good, warm/fuzzies movie that is and always will be a Christmas tradition with me, like hearing Gene Autry sing "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" or Judy Garland warble "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." Set towards the end of the second world war, "Going My Way" opens at St. Dominic's Roman Catholic church, a vulnerable bricks and mortar edifice teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, threatened with foreclose by the Knickerbocker Loan and Trust Company as headed by Ted Haines Senior (Gene Lockhart.) To try to save the parish the bishop assigns Fr. O'Malley to take over the running of St. Dominic's without first telling forty-five year incumbent Fr. Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald.) Conservative, persnickety, and extremely set in his ways, Fr. Fitzgibbon does not initially take very kindly to the more modern, hep younger man and his 'progressive' approach. But somehow O'Malley manages to bring the old man on board without once trespassing on his dignity or defiling his self esteem. With just enough music and plot twists to keep everything briskly flowing, "Going My Way" is that rare film that never lags during its two hour and seven minute running time. The perfect Christmas confection, it is never preachy, thus making its core message that much more powerful. Yes, it may be a schmaltzy old relic from a bygone era, but its incandescent glow is as warm and comforting today as it undoubtedly was when first released in 1944. The perfect 'let's pretend' movie, the multi Oscar winning "Going My Way" (best picture, director, actor and supporting actor among others) is the perfect antidote to our twenty-first century seasonal madness of rampant consumerism fuelled by unbridled greed. Definitely not to be missed!!!