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Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Would you like to swing on a star?
Carry moonbeams home in a jar,
And be better off than you are,
Or would you rather be a mule
Swinging on a Star has always been one of my all-time favorite songs to whistle to when I am happy. I remember the first time I ever heard the song. The first time was from a Little Lulu video that my family had on VHS. Now where I got hooked on the song and don’t laugh was when it was in the Bruce Willis film Hudson Hawk. Yup, that movie. Many, many, many years later, I found out Bing Crosby sung it, and many years after that, I finally found out it was in Going My Way.
Directed, produced, and a story made by Leo McCarey. Going My Way tells the story of Father Charles O’Malley (Crosby) and Father Fitzgibbon (Fitzgerald). St. Dominic’s in New York City has been run by Father Fitzgibbon for the past 45 years. The parish faces financial and social problems that the bishop believes cannot be solved by Father Fitzgibbon’s traditional and conservative approach to running the church. The bishop decides that it is time for a new direction and appoints the easy-going, golf-playing, sports-loving, song-singing Father O’Malley to lead the church under the disguise as saying he is Father Fitzgibbon’s new assistant. Things start off on the wrong foot as Father Fitzgibbon does not approve of Father O’Malley’s ways, both as a priest and as a person. O’Malley’s cool ideas and calm demeanor help him connect with the gang of kids around the neighborhood. The gang quickly forms a boys’ choir looking to help the church with their financial problems.
I don’t know how I feel about this movie. On the one hand, it is a cute little movie where two ideologies collide with each other. On the other hand, I found it a tad bit boring and mediocre. It’s not a bad movie at all. It has many highlights about it, like the first few minutes when Father O’Malley comes to the church. He gets water thrown all over him, has to pay for a broken window, and gets into it with a nosey neighbor.
I just felt like there should’ve been more. The whole story about the girl who ran away from home and then gets married and lives happily could’ve been taken out. Ironically, she meets the person whose father wants to close down the church and falls in love with them. I also felt like there should’ve been more with the kids. It is not every day you see a gang of boys goes from causing trouble to singing in a choir to traveling the world to help raise money for the church. This film is like Sister Act but way before Sister Act.
The whole back and forth between O’Malley and Fitzgibbon were comical and entertaining. An old man who sees his end and has given his entire life to one church is being slowly pushed out by the new progressive mind who isn’t strict. To see them going back and forth with each other was funny. The whole turkey scene was great. The expression on Fitzgibbon’s face is priceless.
Bing Crosby is excellent at his role as Father O’Malley. He is that soulful, charming, loving character with that low voice. Hell, he even sang Swinging on a Star. This was a great role, and he won the Academy Award for it, but was it out of this world special? Naw, it was okay.
Like I said before, one of my favorite songs is Swinging on a Star. It was nice hearing it and glad to see it won the Academy Award for Best Song. I didn’t think I would have to wait the whole movie to hear it. It could’ve been put in earlier.
Going my way is an entertaining, old school movie. If you want something more up to date with somewhat the same concept, I would recommend Sister Act. Hey, to each their own. Have fun watching Bing Crosby do his thing and sing with that great voice of his.
