Written and Directed by: Theodore Melfi
Cast: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Chris O’Dowd, Terrence Howard
As far as actors go, Bill Murray is at the top of my list. He is fearless, letting go so completely that his characters just seem to fold right into him. When I first noticed him on “Saturday Night Live” about a million years ago, I like everyone else, thought he was just a comedian, we fell in love with his goofy characters and laughed. When he moved to the big screen we were still laughing. Then he did a film called “The Razors Edge” and I stopped just laughing and saw a real actor go to work. Since then he has amassed a singular body of work that is no less than amazing.
“St. Vincent” is one more film on his list that allows him to immortalize yet another characterization, that of Vincent, a retired curmudgeon with a penchant for alcohol and gambling living in a small house in a Sheepshead Bay neighborhood, Brooklyn. In Murray’s capable hands, to say that this old guy is grumpy, irritated and irritating is the understatement of the day. Yet, long before the film is finished, you’re going to be charmed by him and fall deeply under his spell.
Here’s the storyline:
Vincent, doesn’t suffer fools, authority or, for that matter, anyone willingly. He’s a bitter slob who marches to his own drummer, lives in a small house with a faded white picket fence and drives around Brooklyn in a wood-paneled ’83 Chrysler LeBaron convertible that’s about as decrepit as he is. Unexpectedly, 12-year-old Oliver (Lieberher) drops into Vincent’s life when he and his struggling single mother Maggie (McCarthy) move into the house next door. She becomes forced to work long hours at the hospital, so it’s not long before Vincent is watching the boy after school. A strange friendship ignites between the two and together with Vincent’s pregnant hooker/stripper friend Daka (Watts), they begin a journey of adventure, redemption and enlightenment.
Though the film is definitely a Bill Murray vehicle, and that’s probably why you’ll go see it, it has the most outstanding ensemble cast I’ve seen in quite awhile. As the boy, Jaeden Lieberher, is exceptional, he seems totally comfortable in front of the camera and will captivate you from his first scene. Naomi Watts, totally unrecognizable as Daka, is nothing short of amazing and even Melissa McCarthy, playing it straight, make the universe of the film work beautifully.
To his credit, first time writer/director Theodore Melfi, telling a story that could have been so heavy-handed as to fall under it’s own weight, has added such a gentle refined touch to the whole piece that his characters have that spark of believability that makes for true entertainment. And, it’s also pretty funny. I may have forgotten to say that, I laughed a lot.
My take, best film I’ve seen in sometime. Perhaps you’ll hear some Oscar talk coming from this one. I wouldn’t be surprised. Great Film. Don’t miss it.
