Bill Murray and
Melissa McCarthy Share the Screen in This Unexpected Comedy-Drama
By Chris Sabga
Who living among us
right now would qualify for sainthood? It's a good question asked by
Brother Geraghty (Chris O'Dowd), a priest who teaches at a Brooklyn
Catholic school. The least likely candidate, of course, would be
Vincent McKenna (Bill Murray). He's a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking,
compulsive gambler who frequently gets together with a "lady of
the night" (Naomi Watts, complete with a ridiculous but
endearing Russian accent). A single mom and her young son, Maggie and
Oliver (Melissa McCarthy and Jaeden Lieberher), soon move in next
door to Vince – and they have no idea what to make of their new
neighbor.
Through a series of
events and decisions that could probably only happen in a movie, Vin becomes a very unlikely babysitter for Oliver. The plot
and performances both seem to be a step or two removed from reality,
but it works because the film never once wavers from that tone –
even when the story takes a more serious turn. Indeed, audiences will
likely go into "St. Vincent" expecting a comedy, but the
second half is unexpectedly dark and dramatic.
Also surprising:
Melissa McCarthy, who usually provides the comic relief, plays it
straight here. (She does have one scene, though – a meeting with
the priests at her son's school – where she delivers perhaps the
most hilarious line in the film.) Bill Murray, however, gets to dish
out some great zingers throughout.
In most movies, the
relationship between the old man and the little boy would be used as
a predictable plot device to soften the main character's crusty
demeanor – the tried and true formula of a child's wide-eyed
innocence and its magical effect on that special crotchety someone –
and then everyone lives happily ever after. "St. Vincent"
doesn't make that mistake. What it does instead is peel away at Vin's
layers to reveal a full-fledged but flawed human being
that's more than just a collection of curmudgeonly film stereotypes.
The movie isn't perfect. There are a couple of loose threads – mostly involving Zucko and some money – and it can be slightly over-the-top at certain points. Still, by the time the film takes an emotional turn, these characters have earned our empathy. I felt for them, rooted for them, and wanted them to ultimately be okay.
Saints were originally
human beings with their own set of foibles and failings, but as Bill
Murray's character demonstrates in "St. Vincent," those
obvious faults don't always tell the whole story about who a person
actually is.