Review: St. Vincent

Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy Share the Screen in This Unexpected Comedy-Drama

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: October 24, 2014 – U.S.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Running Time: 102 minutes

Director: Theodore Melfi

Writer: Theodore Melfi

Cast: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, 

Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, 

Terrence Howard, Jaeden Lieberher  

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.

As you would expect from one of Bill Murray's offbeat characters, Vin isn't the typical babysitter. He teaches the boy how to fight and takes him to a bar and the racetrack. Unfortunately, betting on losing horses has left Vin deeply in debt – and at the mercy of the unsavory Zucko (Terrence Howard, in a small role), who has come to collect.

There are other developments, but those are best left for you to discover.

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.  

Review: Before They Faced "The Impossible" Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts Starred in "Stay"

A Crazed Conundrum

By Chris Sabga

"Stay" is a visually-arresting psychological mystery-thriller with gorgeous set-pieces and striking camerawork.  It's also confusing as hell. But as one character says, "There's too much beauty to quit."

Here's what can be definitively discerned from the labyrinthine plot:

The film stars Ewan McGregor as Dr. Sam Foster, a psychiatrist who becomes the "substitute shrink" for a disturbed patient named Henry Letham (played by a young Ryan Gosling with dirty longer hair that makes him look like a dead ringer for the actress Chloë Sevigny).

Henry's previous psychiatrist, Dr. Levy (an almost unrecognizable Janeane Garofalo), has taken time off because she's "exhausted." The stress of Henry's case obviously has something to do with it – or does it?

Henry begins hearing voices and plans to commit suicide in three days. Now it's up to Sam to find him and stop him.

As it turns out, Sam's girlfriend Lila (Naomi Watts) is familiar with suicidal feelings herself; she once tried to kill herself in the bathtub with two razorblades.

Bob Hoskins appears in a small role as Sam's friend Leon. He may or may not be blind. He may or may not be alive. He may or may not have a connection to another character. The only thing for sure is that he plays a pretty effective game of chess. In a way, so does this movie – because it always seems to be several steps ahead of the audience, and that continues even as the credits begin to roll.

But what does all of this indicate about Dr. Sam's mental state? His patient Henry may not be the only one with problems.

A film like this with so many strange twists, turns, and developments requires a strong payoff – and yet the ending barely seems to clear anything up. A cursory glance at the IMDB message board reveals multiple threads with numerous interpretations.  

Such an obtuse approach usually irritates me to the core. Somehow, though, I find myself wanting to talk about "Stay," recommend it to others, and even watch it again to piece together the perplexing puzzle that unfolds during the 99 minutes we spend with these fractured people. Surely there are clues to be found in the movie's dazzling dreamlike visuals and camera transitions that seamlessly blend one scene and location into the next.

Review: The Impossible

One Family's "Impossible" Struggle For Survival

By Chris Sabga

I winced constantly while watching "The Impossible."

 

The film spends only a few minutes letting the family on screen – and the viewers – enjoy an idyllic vacation in Southeast Asia before plunging them into one of the worst natural disasters in recent history. The Belon family is happily frolicking by the pool in an opulent hotel when – suddenly – they're engulfed by a cataclysmic tsunami. After that, the movie doesn't let up for a single second. It's a harrowing journey of death, survival, and how life can change in an instant.

It's almost impossible to imagine the sheer scope of devastation caused by a disaster of this magnitude, but "The Impossible" brutally drops us underwater and then through the wreckage and right into the heart of one family's struggle to survive. Every pained footstep and infected drop of blood is meticulously laid out bare.

"The Impossible" will likely be described as a drama, but the truth is, it's a horror movie. There are no monsters or cheap around-the-corner scares, but very little could be more horrifying than this.

Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor play Maria and Henry, the parents of three little boys. Watts, in particular, delivers an incredible performance as a mother who will do anything for her child. It's all the more impressive when you consider how little dialogue she has. Her Academy Award nomination for Best Actress is certainly well-deserved. But the real surprise is young Tom Holland, who portrays Lucas, the oldest of the brothers. He is stunning in his first live-action role – every bit the equal of his more experienced co-stars and more than worthy of an Oscar nomination himself. (He was unfortunately overlooked by the Academy, likely because the acting categories are already so packed.)

The film almost never takes a wrong turn, except for one questionable decision made by Ewan McGregor's character about halfway through. However, because this is based on the true story of an actual family, Enrique Belon (renamed Henry for the film) presumably did the same in real life. The tagline "based on a true story" usually doesn't mean much, but the real Maria Belon was reportedly very involved during the filming of the movie.

"The Impossible" is by no means easy to watch. It's intense and uncomfortable, but it's also masterfully crafted and beautifully acted.