Review of St. Vincent (2014) by Carlos G — 31 May 2015

Bill Murray is a legend in every sense of the word with a long list of acclaimed performances. But he has wavered lately with less leading roles than he has in the past, but is still able to knock out any role big or small out of the park. His last big screen leading role was The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which was released ten years ago and was classic Bill Murray. We waited long and hard for Murray to return and bring out his standard greatness onto the screen front and center. And the wait was well worth it as we were gifted one of Murray's best performances in St. Vincent as a disgruntled Vietnam War vet. He manages to make a standard film into something much more than that like only he can with his great comedic timing and powerful dramatic relevance.

Brooklyn native Vincent MacKenna (Bill Murray) is a lonely, drunk with a mean streak and a strong penchant for gambling. His life doesn't seem to have any meaning whatsoever as he goes from one drink to the next. He doesn't have many friends as Vincent can't really stand anyone else and neither could anyone stand to be with him. Except that Vincent employs a russian stripper/prostitute Daka (Naomi Watts) who also happens to be several months pregnant. His bad luck with gambling at the race track causes a bookie Zuko (Terrence Howard) to squeeze the money that he is owed out of him, but if only there was any. Finding out that his bank account is overdrawn, he has no idea where to get any semblance of cash. But fate rears its ugly head toward Vincent when a single mother Maggie Bronstein (Melissa McCarthy) and a young boy Oliver Bronstein (Jaeden Lieberher) move in next door where they unfortunately meet him as a moving tree crashes onto his beaten down car. If that wasn't enough to get under his skin, Maggie works late at a hospital as an MRI technician and has no one to watch Oliver. So Vincent obliges to watch him for a fee in what seems like a good idea but his bad habits influence Oliver that turns off Maggie. But the unlikely pair manages to help each other out and grow amid tumultuous times in both of their lives.

The cast assembled here is really impressive where it enhances a mainly normal story. The performances flesh it out better than expected where they most importantly don't fall into clichés or tired machinations. They all had great chemistry and went extremely well off of each other.

The great cast is of course fronted by Bill Murray. He brings his usual sardonic wit to the proceedings and excels in unsurprising form. He is by far one of the best comedic actors if not the best out right now. Murray hasn't been this good in ages since the The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou which also happens to be another one of his great roles. His added vitriol and venomous tongue never tire or get boring and you can't help but laugh at his barb wired quips or feel sad when things don't go his way. He excels in this role and makes it so it's something different from his past performances as well as similar films that follow this model. The bounce back from mean and surly to warm and nice was handled very well and didn't feel like it forced a transformation out of him. It felt genuine and the acting by Murray was incredibly sincere. He takes you to some unexpected places and handles them with gravitas that is expected from a professional. Murray rightfully centers the film and keeps it from going off track but the films isn't set up where you wait till he comes back on screen and takes over. The rest of the cast takes the ball when needed and runs with it to deliver some great performances.

McCarthy was beyond great as she had one of the best performances of her career. It was subdued, called back and relied on her range rather her penchant for goofy gags or ridiculous characters. If one were to judge McCarthy's abilities by the dreadful Tammy released back in July, they more than likely wouldn't have seen St. Vincent. Which is too bad as the former got a wide release and the former got smaller release. No one should really be surprised that she can hold her own in a drama and against a legend, as many comedians are very apt at comedy and drama roles. I would love if she did more roles like this and not just go for the cheap laughs. She did an exceptional job going against Murray and was very refreshing to see her in a straight role rather the odd and crazy one. It's probably the most real performance that she has ever done and compared to her other roles, seems oddly out of place.

Seeing Naomi Watts as a russian stripper/prostitute who is also pregnant is probably something that no one would hear in one sentence. The description of her character is so bizarre that one would wonder how it can be portrayed on screen. But Watts does a great job and shows some great comedic chops while saying it with an amazing sounding russian accent. It didn't sound too strong or felt like that someone was trying to sound russian. She was way funnier than I expected and filled the role of off center character very admirably. The concept of a stripper who is several months pregnant worked well here in this world and added a few humorous sight gags. Daka balked at the idea that she isn't getting paid because she is pregnant and further added to the ridiculousness of the situation. She gives Daka a lot of heart and added with Murray's mean spiritedness, is basically the only person who is able to warm his cold soul. Even though she has to be paid, the friendship is palpable and often sweet.

Newcomer Lieberher couldn't have chosen a better film for his first role. As the partner in crime to Vincent, he is able to come out of his shell while Vincent is able to find what was once lost. Lost in a catholic school and unaware if he is Jewish, he doesn't make the best first impression. Instead of being relegated to the cutesy role like many child actors, he has a wise beyond his year's manta to him. He comes off as a natural when he is next to Murray and never felt out of place. One of his best scenes was standing up to a bully as you see the all too real face of not taking any more crap from anyone. The rage and fury on his face was very effective as well as the naiveté he showed when being explained what Daka's profession is. He makes bets on the ponies, has a drink at a local bar, talks to strippers and punches bullies in the face like he's been doing it his whole life. His transition was just as effective as Vincent's was and their dual performances bring out the best in each other as well as the story. It's a child performance that doesn't make you want to puke or is devoid of any substance. Chris O'Dowd had some funny moments as the witty Brother Geraghty, teacher to Oliver.

The direction and script by Theodore Melfi in his sophomore effort was predictable at times, going into places that you would expect to go. It is by no means original, but it's not about what the story is telling but how the story is being told. Melfi does more than enough with the characters and script to set it apart from past films of this ilk, while still having the same element that make them successful. It takes a little while to get where it needs to go as Murray drove it along flawlessly from the start, but once it does get going it's a lot of fun. Murrays dead pan performance made the script far better than it would have if anyone else was in the same role. Although the thought of Jack Nicholson who was rumored to play the lead, would have been equally as great. It's cheesy at times but it's offset by so many other elements that it doesn't even matter in the end. There are some surprising emotional moments that hit you exactly where they are supposed to go and it doesn't feel contrived. Some of them do but that's par for the course in a film like this and one should expect some contrivance of feelings by the end.

The genuine heartbreaking moments like Maggie explaining that she can't be around her son as much as she wants were very effective and explained the single working mom plight with brutal honesty. As well as the husband that left her and hasn't seen her or Oliver in a long while. Oliver is looking for a release to explain his feelings and knows he can't go to his mother since she's never around and isn't that popular at school where he gets beaten up and has his possessions stolen by bullies. So he goes to the first person he meets in a mean, old drunk with a tortured past. His initial feelings towards Oliver change when he sees him getting picked on by bullies as he wouldn't take the same crap in his position. By instilling confidence in Oliver, he in turn revitalizes Vincent into a new man. Well somewhat since he still gambles, drinks and is a generally unpleasant guy, but now he has someone to pal around with even if he isn't of age.

It's a scene and scenario we've seen before with Bad Santa, Gran Torino, Up, About A Boy and The Royal Tenenbaums among others where the old guy and young kid engage in wacky adventures or profound heart to heart conversations. All of those films are great and I love them for different reasons, but Murray does it as good as or even better than Billy Bob Thornton, Clint Eastwood, Ed Asner, Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman in their respective roles. It gets to be downright depressing at times where you wonder where it will go next. There were some generally shocking moments that caught me off guard that made it be an overall more enriching story. His past comes out at the right time that explains what type of man he is and was while showing how far he has swayed from his path. It's a little cliché but it comes full circle in the end where you can't help but feel happy for Vincent.

I went into St. Vincent as a consolation prize somewhat after barely missing out on a free screening of Dumb and Dumber To. Even though it wasn't the film I originally wanted to see, I am still glad I saw it. Going on initially, I thought I was going to see the same old tired story that's been done before with some uninspired characters. But it really surprised me with how honest it was in its portrayal and the delivery of the stellar cast. It won't change the genre overnight and it follows a model that we all know. With Murray at the helm, he takes control and steers it into some unchartered waters, making for an all-around enjoyable viewing experience. Four horse races out of five.