St. Vincent

"I'm showing him how the world works. You work, you get paid, you drink."

"You're drinking alcohol?"

"...I honestly don't remember."

Vincent MacKenna (Murray) is a grumpy old man, who doesn't like anyone and keeps to himself.  That all changes when Maggie Bronstein (McCarthy) moves in next door and damages his car.  Vincent soon begins a reluctant with Maggie's 12-year old son Oliver (Lieberher). 

Vincent becomes Oliver's babysitter and teaches him about the world.  Oliver goes to the racetrack, the bar, and meets Vincent's prostitute friend Daka (Watts).  He also learns to defend himself from the bullies at school.  Can their unlikely friendship save both Vincent and Oliver?


I enjoy Bill Murray films and was excited to see that he was doing a comedy.  The screenplay, written by director Theodore Melfi, appeared on 2011's Hollywood Black List for the best unproduced scripts.  The story is excellent: dark and deals with serious topics, while still keeping it light.  The script is elevated by perfect casting choices.

Murray was great, as usual.  He has wonderful comedic timing and makes you care about this mean character  He had excellent chemistry with Jaeden Lieberher, who was a breath of fresh air.  He was adorable and manages to step out of the typical child character tropes.  Naomi Watts was good as Daka, making her demanding / in control and still vulnerable.  Chris O'Dowd makes the most of his small role, getting laughs and propelling the story forward.  Melissa McCarthy plays against type and plays the straight man role, letting her costars get the laughs.  She matches their energy and keeps Maggie from being unlikeable.  I enjoy her in comedy, but she proves her that she can still dive into serious characters / scripts.

It is an interesting independent film.  Real and funny and a nice escape from reality.

St. Vincent (2014) 102 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material including sexual content, alcohol and tobacco use, and for language
Director: Theodore Melfi
Starring: Bill Murray as Vincent MacKenna
Melissa McCarthy as Maggie Bronstein
Naomi Watts as Daka Paramova
Chris O'Dowd as Brother Geraghty
Jaeden Lieberher as Oliver Bronstein
Dario Barosso as Robert Ocinski
Kimberly Quinn as Ana
Donna Mitchell as Sandy