Review of St. Vincent (2014) by Harry W — 03 Jan 2015

Featuring a Golden Globe nominated leading performance from Bill Murray in his return to comedy, St. Vincent sounded like a nice easy film.

In the end, St. Vincent ended up being almost exactly as good as I was expecting, if not a little better. It took a while to get into the swing of things because the characters require time to develop and so does he story, but after enough time everything gets going and the experience becomes worthwhile.

As I had expected, much of St. Vincent is a rather derivative film. The premise is a familiar one which viewers would have seen countless times in many other films. The plot dynamics are largely a series of rather familiar ones with the characters all being largely archetypes such as the lonely old man who is angry but misunderstood and the new woman in the neighbourhood dealing with moving and struggling to maintain a relationship with her son who himself is dealing with high school bullies. And then there is an Australian actress playing a pregnant Russian stripped. While some characters are archetypes, Daka Paramova is a ridiculous ploy for comic relief. The story ensures that along the lines she develops into a stronger character which is good, but the e tire concept behind her is still ridiculous. The characters in the film are familiar and the plot follows the same path with conventional dynamics mixed with sentimentality which is something that viewers are likely to have experienced countless other times in many similar films. The film starts and ends with familiar territory and so the importance rests less on the story and more on what the cast and director can actually do with it all. Luckily enough there is enough talent on board to elevate St. Vincent beyond its formulaic roots.

St. Vincent is a very familiar film, but what Theodore Melfi does for the film as a director is impressive. Even though the material isn't perfect and can divert into sentimental territory easily, he ensures that all the drama in the film is handled very lightly which means it never descends into melodramatic territory. St. Vincent is a really easy film to watch which is consistently light and funny as well as touching without being tediously overwhelmed by its dramatic elements. There weren't really lessons to be learned from the film because whatever the viewer takes away from St. Vincent will most likely have been taken away from many other films in the past, but in terms of how the material is handled, St. Vincent serves as a strong platform for Theodore Melfi's abilities as a film director because he is certain an asset on bringing the spirit of St. Vincent out. There is certainly a lot of spirit and life in St. Vincent as well as the best intentions, and the visual style that he brings to the film elevates its spirit a step further. The scenery for the film gives it an interesting setting, and as a whole the feature feels like a rather low key one which makes it seem genuine and there is some nice imagery that comes in along the way. Everything looks good and is handled well, so St. Vincent really does pay some favours to the credibility of Theodore Melfi as director.

And to illuminate the spirit of both the comedy and the drama in St. Vincent, the cast all churn out some powerful efforts.

Bill Murray is the key asset to St. Vincent's success. The great comic legend makes his return to being a hilarious lead in St. Vincent, and he does it without going over the top or relying on old gags. He rests comfortably in the role with an easygoing nature and while he begins as a bit of an archetype, he gradually transitions into much more. He always has a sense of heart to him which makes him a likable character from the beginning, and as the film goes on viewers find themselves more and more connected to him simply because of the way that Bill Murray is able to project a sense of frailty. He consistently handles the drama in the film well with a sense of subtlety and brings out some strong comedy moments as well. His leading performance in St. Vincent seems to be an amalgamation of his years of comedy and drama, and they balance out very well in the end. Bill Murray's leading performance in St. Vincent doesn't compare with any of his funniest performances, but it is nice to see him back playing the comedy game even if the laughs in the film are not as consistent as you might hope for from a Bill Murray film.

With Melissa McCarthy currently on the rise as a popular comic actress, it is a nice change of pace to see her take on a simple dramatic role for once. She has proved many times that she can easily go back and forth between comedy and drama, and in St. Vincent the film requires her to mostly handle a sense of light drama with a touch of sentimentality. She easily rises to the part and brings a sense of sympathy to it, largely because what she puts into the role is a very restrained and gentle performance which focuses mainly on basic expressions of emotion, both physically and in terms of line delivery. She has no problem getting the tone of the character right and interacting with the many other cast members of the film in the most genuine manner available. She really does a welcome job.

The young Jaeden Lieberher makes his feature film debut in St. Vincent and does so without faltering at all. Though he plays a character whom is all too familiar, he does so with a likable sense of youthful spirit and shares a strong chemistry with Bill Murray. The two of them make a nice duo because they go at each other as equals with one being the vulnerable old man and the other being a vulnerable young boy. The two of them make a welcome duo, and Jaeden Lieberher interacts with Academy Award nominee Bill Murray on a very sophisticated level. Jaeden Lieberher is a nice addition to St. Vincent.

Naomi Watts is also decent. Although it takes a while to adjust to the strange nature of her characters as she is a pregnant russian stripper, Naomi Watts sticks it out in the role the entire time with her accent remaining consistent and her spirit remaining there. She's rarely as funny as the writers may want her to be, but she is a likable one who works alongside Bill Murray very well. It is one of her strangest roles, but even in such a small profile one she delivers.

And lastly, Chris O'Dowd is a welcome comic presence as always.

So St. Vincent is a very familiar film which is packed with a few many subplots and themes, but the strong directional work from Theodore Melfi and talented cast make it funny and touching.