Comedy is Bill Murray’s forte. From “Caddyshack” to “Ghostbusters”, “Groundhog Day” to “Garfield”, Murray has made us laugh for decades. In 2003, he took a dramatic turn in “Lost in Translation”, which earned him an Oscar nomination. Now, as a cranky old man in “St. Vincent” – his most buzzed-about role in over a decade – Murray proves that he can deliver the right mix of comedy and drama in this sweet, satisfying film.
Murray’s Vincent lives with his cat in a small house in Brooklyn. He drinks, smokes, and regularly heads over to Belmont Park to bet the horses in hopes of hitting it big and fixing his financial problems. Vincent’s crankiness grows with the arrival of his new next-door neighbors: Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her young son Oliver (newcomer Jaeden Lieberher). Maggie is going through a separation with her husband and has left him to start fresh with her son. She’s a hospital tech and works long hours, often into the evening. So she needs an after school “babysitter” for Oliver and Vincent needs the $11 an hour, so he becomes the guy. The relationship between this unlikely pair is the heart and soul of the film.
And “St. Vincent” does have heart, and a little soul, but it’s hurt by a story that’s way too simple. Cliche situations and characters dominate the script, which includes very few surprises. This is a movie that’s solely dependent on the performances, and Murray is in top form, though I don’t see him getting much awards attention because the film itself is very light. He and Lieberher are a likeable pair as characters and actors. The 11 year old has great screen presence and holds his own with the veteran cast. McCarthy, known for her outrageous, over-the-top roles, tones it way down here and is genuinely believable as the overwhelmed, frustrated and caring mother. And the always hilarious Chris O’Dowd (“Bridesmaids”, “The Sapphires”) has some shining moments as Oliver’s Catholic elementary school teacher.
There are some subplots involving supporting characters that don’t work nearly as well. Naomi Watts plays Vincent’s “companion”, a pregnant “Lady of the Night”, complete with a not-so-convincing Russian accent. And Terrence Howard pops-in for a few scenes, as part of an unnecessary storyline.
“St. Vincent” starts promising with some big laughs and clever moments. It then flattens out, taking on a more conventional “dramedy” tone before an effective and sentimental conclusion. We’re left with an overall message about people not always being what they seem, and that’s fine, though I was expecting something a little stronger.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “St. Vincent” gets a B-.