St. Vincent: If you like Bill Murray, take the time

Irreverence is an art form perfected by Bill Murray, which has served him well for decades in the nearly seventy films he has appeared in. The one exception (I can recall) was his portrayal of Bob Harris in the movie Lost in Translation, for which he received an Oscar nomination. In St. Vincent, he continues his tradition of impertinence and disrespect for those around him almost to perfection, until he meets his match.

If you are going to enjoy this movie, you’ll have to “hang in there” because for the first ten minutes or so, its’ pretty bad. From that point forward, you’ll most likely be glad you stayed, as the story line can only go up, which it does. Murray stars as Vincent, a flippant, impudent, and lost soul whose life mirrors his attitudes, or is it the other way around? Regardless, his existence revolves around very little except alcohol, the race track, and his vintage car, which should probably be nominated for “best supporting” antique.

The treadmill of life he is on begins to slow as new next door neighbors come barging into his life. Neither he nor the neighbors like each other to start, but their lives become inexorably intertwined despite Vincent’s best efforts to prevent it from happening. Melissa McCarthy plays the neighbor Maggie, and unlike most of her past performances, does a credible job of acting. In tow she has her eleven year old son Oliver, who becomes the focal point of the “relationship” between the two households.

Forced to work late one night and knowing no one else in the neighborhood, Maggie begs Vincent to “baby sit” her son until she can get home. The negotiations between the two is a priceless moment, and Vincent finally agrees to help out, just this one time. Life is never quite the same for either Oliver or Vincent from that point forward, as the polite, well-mannered young man and the irascible, old curmudgeon begin to rub off on one another. Throw in a large, fluffy white cat and an unusual lady friend of Vincent’s and you have the formula for a winning story.

Naomi Watts plays Daka, the aforementioned woman and is outstanding in her role, which you would expect from this versatile and talented actress.

Buried beneath the veneer worn by Vincent is some history that got him to this point in life. Leave it to an innocent eleven year old to begin peeling it away, despite Vincent’s determination to prevent that from happening.

It’s not too hard to predict some of the outcome, just look at the title. Nonetheless, this is an entertaining ride, the cast is a perfect blend of personalities, and Murray’s performance is at the top of his game.

Questions or comments: tsansom2002@yahoo.com.

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