Curmudgeonly old codger Vincent has money problems, drinking
problems and likes to make matters worse by spending what little money he has on sleeping with a pregnant Russian prostitute
and gambling on the horses. Just as Vincent is at his lowest, the recently divorced Melissa McCarthy comes
crashing into his life by moving in next door with her 12 year old son Oliver. When little
Oliver is the target of bullies, he ends up losing his keys and having to ask
Vincent for help. So starts a deal between Vincent and the boy’s mother where
she will pay him to look after the boy while she works all hours to pay the rent.
Bill Murray is on fire as the grizzled old geezer at the
beating heart of this story. Of course there is a heart beneath the gruff
exterior. Of course the boy will help to thaw his heart. Of course he’s not as mean as he first
appears. While the old guy and his new young charge begin bonding over breaking
bullies’ noses, the supporting cast also get their time in their spotlight. Naomi
Watts is saddled with a dreadful accent and Terence Howard is completely wasted
but Melissa McCarthy gets to deliver a wonderfully warm and touching
performance as the straight one in her odd couple pairing with Murray, nimbly stepping out of the shadow of her recent comedic tour de forces.
So while St. Vincent is filled with some fine performances,
big laughs from Bill Murray and decent drama, it’s all as predictable as you
can imagine. Chris O’Dowd fights earnestly in a handful of scenes for the title
of funniest guy in the movie but this is definitely Murray’s vehicle. It’s a
bright and sunny, heart warming film that never dwells too long on its brief
moments of tragedy. Everyone in the film is inherently good, an overly optimistic take
on life that occasionally rings false and sugar coats proceedings to the point
where you may want to gag a bit by the end.
By the time, Oliver is trying to convince the world that
Vincent is a modern day saint, the gags have all but dried up but St. Vincent has earned some of its its
heart tugging emotion. Debut director Theodore Melfi has done well to gather
such an accomplished cast who are capable of eliciting laughs and tears, even
if the writing is frequently a little too obvious. St Vincent isn’t one of Bill
Murray’s best films but without him, it would have been a hell of a lot worse.
What did you think of St Vincent?
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