Director: Theodore Melfi

Starring: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts & Jaeden Lieberher

Running Time: 102 mins

Release date: 24 Oct, 2014

Worldwide Gross: $11,474,877

 

 

 

 

Basic Plot:

 

St. Vincent is set in Brooklyn, NY, and right away we’re introduced to the not-so-loveable Vin (Murray), a schlubby, unkempt, probably hung over (if not drunk) grouch who is denied a bank loan and told his checking account is overdrawn.  His solution: more drinks.  He sits at the bar and rants, gets cut off, drives home drunk, cracks his head and passes out on his kitchen floor.  All of this seems to be routine for Vin who lives alone and its obvious has been alone for a long time. New neighbors move in and through a series of mishaps are shoved into Vin’s life.  Here we meet Oliver, played by newcomer Jaeden Lieberher.  Murray seems to sit back and enjoy watching this young actor work with an innocent earnestness that seems to come naturally, not manipulated.  True to formula, we learn things about Vin through Oliver’s eyes as Vin takes his new protégé under his wing that soften us up to his rough exterior. There are a few too many “Oh, that’s why he’s this way” moments, but in the end it’s heartwarming without being unrealistically transformative.

 

Clock Watching? 17/20

 

At a brisk 102 minutes, St. Vincent is a pleasant walk in the park – or through the slums, rather. The risk with these “With a Heart of Gold” stories is that sometimes the good that hides inside just takes too long to come out.  Mercifully, we’re shown fairly early on that Vin, while rude and gross, is actually a pretty decent person.

 

Oscar Performances? 15/20

 

Melissa McCarthy plays Oliver’s mother.  She takes a one-dimensional role and adds enough complexity to her that she becomes more than the poor put-upon single mother we’ve seen a thousand times.  We also meet Daka (Watts), a Russian stripper who seems to be Vin’s only “friend”, and Brother Geraghty, an Irish Catholic schoolteacher played charmingly as always by Chris O’Dowd.  Watts is always fantastic and it’s fun to see a comedic side we don’t often get from this super serious juggernaut of an actress.  And what can you say about Bill Murray?  I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever not enjoyed one of his performances. He seems to know that this role and the movie as a whole aren’t going to be held up as career altering, so he looks like he’s having fun.  Vin doesn’t take anything too seriously, and Murray plays him that way.

 

Lights, Camera, Direction? 16/20

 

This is Melfi’s feature debut, and I can’t say he busts out of the gates as a true auteur.  But that’s ok for a story like this. The style is straight ahead and the focus is on getting from A to B with the quick arc of our Saint Vin.

 

Tell a Friend? 10/20

 

I enjoyed this movie and don’t have much in the way of criticism to say about it.  However, given it’s fall release date along with so many other fantastic and "Year End Top 10" list-worthy films, I’m not reaching out to my friends and family urging them to run to the theater for this one. 

 

Again? 10/20

 

St. Vincent is a nice story - funny, charming, a little tear jerking, and perfect for a Tuesday afternoon – but, not a movie I’m dying to see again. 

 

Total: 68%

 

A solid debut comedy from Theodore Melfi, and fine performances.

 

by Kenny Meier