I'm not really sure how I'll tie this one back to World War II like I've been doing for all the other Best Picture winners I've been watching. I suppose I could say that it was the kind of wholesome comfort entertainment that people were looking for in late 1944, when it seemed likely the Allied forces would win but not yet official. Instead, the thing to note about this movie is how odd it is now to see a major movie with a priest as the main character who is an all-around likable guy. The pendulum has swung far in the other direction since the early 2000s, where the only priests I see any more in shows or movies are pedophiles. Don't get me wrong, there's still a little something off about people going into priesthood, but it was a little nice to see one who wasn't a vile human being in a movie. This movie really is sickeningly wholesome in a way that just can't win Best Picture anymore. It's crazy to me that this swept the Oscars so completely that year with wins for Picture, Director, Screenplay and Story, Song, and Actor and Supporting Actor. The craziest thing is that Barry Fitzgerald was actually nominated for Supporting Actor and Lead Actor. That is the only instance of this ever happening and led to a rule change shortly after. I think it's sweet how boring the movie is. It has no business being over 2 hours long, but at least most of the extra time went to Bing Crosby singing.
Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend
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