MOVIE REVIEW - St. Vincent

With very little fanfare, the new small Bill Murray movie, St.Vincent it out in wide release this week.

Quite simply, this is one of the best little movies of the year.  Murray leads a great cast, who all give wonderful performances in this incredibly well written script.  This is a feel good movie, that is amazingly real.

Murray plays a 70 year-old grumpy old man named Vincent, who has lived in the same small house in Brooklyn seemingly his whole life.  Single mom Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her young son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) move in next door.  They get off to a rocky start in their relationship, but somehow the amazingly horrible role model Vincent ends up being 10 year old Oliver's after school baby sitter.  Vincent smokes, drinks way too much, gambles to the point of self-destruction and basically lives a horrible life. He and Oliver bond. Why do they become friends? And why do they need each other?

But who is Vincent really?  That is the movies main question, and to its credit they spend the entire movie continually introducing you to him. And that is the movies main strength.  Who is this guy? Why does he befriend a pregnant Russian prostitute named Daka (Naomi Watts)?  Why is a small time mob member (Terrence Howard) after him.  And why does Vincent seemingly live his life as difficultly as possible? 

This may be the best written movie of the year.  The incredible character definition, and development is second to none.  This movie just keeps getting better as it goes on.  The dialogue is wonderful and amazingly real. All of our main characters are certainly broken in one way or another, but you don't look at them as victims. You look at them as real, relatable, and as people you may know in some way or another.

Murray is great, and it perfectly cast as the enigmatic Vincent.  And finally McCarthy gets a real role in a credible movie and shows what she can really do as the vulnerable Maggie.  Big kudos to Lieberher as he is introduced to us in this role, as the frail Oliver and makes this movie really go. Watts does a lot with a little with her role as the nasty, but lovable Daka. And who about Chris O'Dowd as Oliver's catholic school teacher, who delivers a great performance reciting the snappy dialogue given to him.

In short, it's hard to tell you much about this movie as it would give too much away.  But I can say this movie gets better with every frame.  This is enjoyable, eye-opening, and emotional all at the same time.  It's difficult not to be moved by this gem. It is fun, funny at times, and dramatic as well.  In short takes you on a two hour ride that is certainly worth your time.

St. Vincent.  This is one of the best movies of the year.