In his last two films Barry Fitzgerald returned to his beloved Ireland and in Rooney joined some of his fellow Abbey Theater players alumni in the cast. Fitzgerald plays a very typical role for him, a crusty grandfather who is bullied by his children and finds some comfort in his granddaughter Muriel Pavlow.
However John Gregson plays the title role of Rooney who is an amateur curling player, but earns his living in the Dublin sanitation department. Despite these humble origins, he's quite the chick magnet and wherever he lives he's eventually got to move because he believes in loving them and leaving them and does not want to be tied down.
So he moves in as a renter to June Thorburn's house where's taking care of her father Barry Fitzgerald. But Barry's practically a prisoner in his own house. Eventually he takes a liking to Gregson and so does Pavlow.
Rooney is a simple plot about two very disparate people finding and falling for each other, but those characters are as deep as something by Eugene O'Neill. Fitzgerald performs his usual scene stealing magic.
Rooney is also a nice and very gray look at Dublin of the Fifties. And I found it interesting the way in the Irish culture they like their sports heroes amateurs. Gregson is the Albert Pujols of curling, but has to work as a garbageman to pay the rent. Completely different than the USA.
Rooney is a nice film about some nice people finding and falling for each other.
