ST. VINCENT
The Weinstein Company
Reviewed for Shockya by Harvey Karten. Data-based on Rotten Tomatoes.
Grade: C+
Director: Theodore Melfi
Screenwriter: Theodore Melfi
Cast: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Jaeden Lieberher, Naomi Watts, Chris O’Dowd
Screened at: Park Avenue, NYC, 11/11/14
Opens: October 24, 2014
A kid needs a father. If you think this is the taking-off point for a predictable, light comedy with more than a touch of sentiment, you’re probably thinking of “St. Vincent.” Struggling mom with a cheating soon-to-be-ex husband, adorable 12-year-old, scrofulous gaffer, Alzheimer’s afflicted wife, competent and tolerant Catholic brother, Damon Runyon gangsters, hooker with a heart of gold. Yup, they’re all there and their job is to take the tired businessmen and businesswomen, lift their spirits after the usual tough day, and admire the performance of Bill Murray as the crusty old guy who likes only his cat, Felix (until he bonds with the kid, of course) and whom nobody likes (until he bonds with the kid, of course).
Bill Murray anchors the show as the title character, Vincent MacKenna; a drinker, smoker, gambler, debtor, patron of the arts of the Gentlemen’s Club, customer of a hooker, all-around grouch and misogynist. But then did I mention that he meets this cute twelve-year-old boy, Oliver Bronstein (Jaeden Lieberher)? Oliver’s a lad who gets bullied on his first day of his new neighborhood’s Catholic school and who, to be sure, is going to be taught the manly art of self defense by Vin, who, it turns out, was quite the hero in Vietnam, recipient of a Bronze medal from President Johnson. But who knew? All we know is that he wants to be left alone by everyone except his Persian cat, who gets fed before his master even if Vincent is down past his last dime.
Oliver comes into his life when the kid’s mother, Maggie Bronstein (Melissa McCarthy), about to finalize her divorce and to fight for custody, must work long hours in a hospital and leaves her boy with Vincent, who agrees to baby sit in return for getting $12 an hour from his new neighbor. But Vincent doesn’t “sit.” He takes the kid to his favorite bar, shows him how to zap a bully, Roger (Ray Iannicelli) in the nose, introduces him to Belmont Racetrack, a drive from his Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn home. Vin is harassed regularly by Zucko (Terrence Howard), his loan shark, who is getting impatient.
Some sharp character roles find Naomi Watts perfecting a Russian accent as Daka, the local stripper and hooker who loses her job at the club because she is pregnant; and Chris O’Dowd, who lets loose his natural brogue as Brother Geraghty, a vibrant teacher at St. Patrick’s school, a man who jokes even when he finds out that some of the kids in his sixth-grade class are atheistic, agnostic, Buddhist, and in the case of Oliver, “a little Jewish.”
The Weinstein Company gives the movie awards status, presumably for Bill Murray’s dependable acting, but as a story, there is nothing new here. It’s harmless, and if that’s what you like, go for it.
Rated PG-13. 103 minutes. © Harvey Karten, Member, New York Film Critics Online
Story – C
Acting – B
Technical – B
Overall – C+
