Movies about an older man teaching a younger man the ways of life, or what life is going to be like in the future are nothing new, but St. Vincent smashes the mold. I believe this is mainly attributed to the performance of Bill Murray; who I believe gives the greatest performance of his career, or at least since the cult classic Rushmore. There is more than just one performance that sets this movie apart from others of its ilk.
Vincent (Murray) is a man who doesn’t come across as that great of a guy. He drinks too much; his best relationship is with a pregnant stripper/prostitute named Daka (Naomi Watts); he gambles too much; and he’s down on his luck. He meets his new neighbors, Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) under unfortunate circumstances, but Vincent sees a way to get some extra money out of a bad situation. Oliver is at a new school, a Catholic School which his teacher Brother Geraghty (Chris O’Dowd) explains to a confused Oliver that though it is a Catholic school, all different religions are accepted.
Vincent is stuck in his ways, and when Maggie is stuck at work, and Oliver can’t get into his new house; he seeks help in the most unlikely place, Vincent. Yet another money making opportunity confronts Vincent in taking care of Oliver when Maggie isn’t available, and this is where the movie starts to progress. The opening of St. Vincent does a great job of establishing who Vincent is as a person, and though he does seem like a curmudgeonly old man, you still feel as if there is more to him than we first see. Murray does a great job of establishing the character and adding that something that actually makes you laugh and feel more for Vincent than you normally would when watching the same plot unfold. The scene when Oliver goes to his new school for the first time had me laughing loudly because of the delivery, and the way things were portrayed. The scene added some humor where it didn’t really need it, but helped move the story along nicely while establishing future conflict for Oliver as well.
There is some conflict for Vincent, as he has gambling debts, and he gets a brief visit from an “associate” Zucko (Terrance Howard), who basically warns Vincent that he needs to pay up soon, or won’t be getting as friendly of a visit the next time. Vincent isn’t the only person with issues, we also discover that other kids in his class bully Oliver, but things soon change when Vincent sees the bullying taking place. Vincent decides to take Oliver under his wing and teach him the ways of the streets to better prepare him to deal with bullies and other struggles that he may have in adjusting to his new surroundings. Vincent also takes Oliver to all his normal spots, regardless of age appropriateness. This is the part where you can really see the heart that Vincent has, and the relationship between Oliver and Vincent slowly starts to develop. The scenes between Murray and Lieberher give character development that is funny and touching, it also pulls the audience in more. The way the two seemingly have a growing and special relationship, it really comes across to the audience as well. This is something that helps move the movie forward, and helps in the context of the plot as well.
The relationship between Vincent and Oliver grows to the point where Vincent takes Oliver to a place most others in his life don’t know about, but shows the size of heart Vincent truly has inside. I won’t go into detail about the scene, but it helps define who Vincent is and the reason he is that way. Next stop for Vincent and Oliver is the race track. Vincent tells Oliver the ways of betting on the “ponies”, and in an attempt to teach Oliver a lesson, the two have an unexpected windfall, and we see Vincent continue to grow as a person. One of the more awkward scenes, Oliver meets Daka. The scene isn’t anything memorable, just awkward seeing as what she does, and the young age that Oliver is doesn’t come across the same way as scenes between Oliver and Vincent. The story continues to develop and we see struggles and triumph between Vincent and the people who have come into his life rather unexpectedly.
I found St. Vincent to be a great story with depth and character, but not everything in St. Vincent was something I truly enjoyed. Naomi Watts, who is usually excellent in all her roles, comes across forced and annoying for the most part in her portrayal of Daka. Terrance Howard was his usual charismatic self, but there was just something about the addition of Zucko that was necessary, but at the same time unnecessary. The “normal” person performance that Melissa McCarthy gave was a departure from what audiences are used to seeing from her on the big screen, but it was a very welcome change for me. Chris O’Dowd had a brief, yet very memorable performance, and some of his lines were the best and most memorable in the movie. Now I must admit there is some difficult scenes for people who have experienced medical tragedy in the past, but I didn’t have as much of a problem with this since it is an aspect of life. There are a chain of events that really show how great of an actor Bill Murray truly is, and why I believe he should at least get a nomination from the Academy for his role in St. Vincent. St. Vincent has a story that flows quickly, has a great heart, and even has humor in the most unexpected of areas. I was more than happy to be afforded the opportunity to see this movie once, and I’m excited to be able to see it once again.
