Movies: St. Vincent

Score:  **** out of ***** (A-)

Long Story Short:  Headlined by major stars Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy, this new dramedy sprung surprisingly quietly into theaters.  The quiet is not at all due to poor quality:  Murray is tremendous in the lead, and he is supported by fine co-stars (several of whom are in surprising roles). The drama leads the way here, with a standard odd couple set up leading to thoughtful, moving, original results.  And don't worry, Murray and co. bring the funny, too.  Recommended for all.


The movie train keeps chugging along this November, with a change of pace in the form of a comedy (a rare critically-acclaimed one at that).  My review of the penultimate Hunger Games film will also be coming soon, after which I'm not sure what will come other than The Hobbit part 3 in December.  I read a blurb for this (as it starts with many other movies) in a fall movie preview article, and seeing Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy attached to the same movie immediately grabbed my attention.  It seemed to be a smaller project, though, so I was thrilled when my local theater picked it up.  St. Vincent was directed by Theodore Melfi (debut) and stars Murray, McCarthy and Naomi Watts.

Vincent is an aging, grumpy drunk in New York City (I think; Wikipedia has let me down with this film).  His only source of income is taking out money against his own home and horse race betting, which typically nets a negative outcome.  Vincent is about to be evicted when new neighbors move in:  Maggie (McCarthy) and her young son, Oliver.  At first simply a nuisance, Vincent soon sees financial gain in the situation by offering his services as a "baby sitter" for Oliver after school while Maggie works long hours as a single mother.

It turns out that Vincent and Oliver offer unexpected benefits for each of their very different life stages and situations.  Unfortunately, while their friendship helps them cope with life, it does not solve their problems - and these intervene to threaten the bond that has formed.

St. Vincent is led by several strong performances, none better than its leading man's.  Bill Murray plays the anti-hero Vincent, giving the film its emotional and humorous core.  This role is not exactly out of Murray's comfort zone as an actor, but he takes nothing for granted.  He builds a very believable character, and a very fascinating, watchable one at that even if his behavior is often loathsome.  His grumpy bits are predictably hilarious, yet we also feel for this guy and when the non-gruff side shows it is quite moving.  Everything in this film depended on him, and Murray delivered.  Also good is Jaeden Liberher, who plays sidekick young Oliver.  He plays a quiet, friendly boy with a bit of the overly mature style marked by many young actors (but not badly).  Perhaps most impressive is simply how he plays against Murray's sheer presence and personality:  he doesn't overcompensate by being loud and overacting, but he's also (nearly) an equal partner in the story.

There are some strong supporting performances as well.  First is Naomi Watts as Vincent's Russian stripper girlfriend, Daka.  Daka is certainly the most "colorful" of the film's characters, but Watts is both funny as well as restrained enough to not become a caricature.  A role that is surprising in many ways, from her importance to the story overall to her fit in the cast.  McCarthy as "Maggie the mom" is much, much more subdued than typical - and she does a great job with it.  Certainly, she still has sharp, effective humor, but she accepts both a much smaller and much different role and manages to excel.  Finally, Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids) plays Oliver's teacher in a very small but subtly humorous role.

Overall, St. Vincent falls into the mold of an odd couple dramedy.  Both main characters (Vincent and Oliver) start off with significant (and very different) problems, become friends, and help each other out.  However, while the start may be familiar in many ways, the results are intriguingly different than expected.  Vincent does not, as one would think, essentially become Oliver's new father.  There is one scene that veers in this direction - and also ties many of the film's themes together in a blunt but very touching way - but it's the exception, and really doesn't fundamentally change things.  Also, while Vincent and Oliver's problems are not original (although a few are surprises), the film does not resolve any of them with a neat little bow.  The friendship does not cure all ills - it "merely" helps heal, and gives the characters new perspective.  Finally, I've already mentioned how Murray, McCarthy, et. al. are funny - duh - but it is also worth mentioning that the drama really is the primary feature and the humor is deftly, naturally incorporated into the story.

***

St. Vincent is quite simply a strong, well-made film and the more I think about it, the more I like it.  There were many ways this could have been done wrong - or at least been completely forgettable or annoying.  The acting and writing, though, are both exceptional.  Bill Murray's phenomenal performance is the centerpiece, as I mentioned earlier, leading all the crucial elements of the film.  However, the acting and the fit of the other characters, especially young Oliver, is an important success, too.  The pacing of the film is a little odd, but this is due to expectations:  I figured that I could predict the results of certain major events but, as explained previously, the film subverts those.  Again, the more I think and write about St. Vincent, the more I find its strengths and struggle to identify weak points, so this could rise in my rankings further by the end of the year.  At any rate, I recommend this for all.




"St. Vincent poster"  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St_Vincent_poster.jpg#mediaviewer/File:St_Vincent_poster.jpg