Sn. Vincent

There is a school of film reviewing which suggests that a film is like a symphony, to review it, don't bother with minutiae, just listen for a false or off-key note, and deduct points accordingly.

By that approach, this film would be a 10 because there are no false notes.

And it is really that good.

The key to these sorts of films is trust your script, trust your actors, and trust the director to simply to give them lead and let them run. Which is precisely what we have here.

The iconic Bill Murray gives his most memorable performance since MEATBALLS -- which, BTW, launched the entire Canadian film industry -- even though it is not actually a comic role. Impressive.

Naomi Watts give her most memorable performance since MULHULLAND DRIVE where, as a glowing young ingénue, she stole scene after scene. She steals here too.

Even Melissa McCarthy, who many consider a scenery-chewer and over-the-top, is wonderfully restrained and actually creates an empathetic character.

Delightful.

St. Vincent, starring Bill Murray as Vincent, asks us to define the qualities of a saint, while we enjoy the decidedly unsaintly Vincent. He defines curmudgeon, a cranky old misanthrope unhappy with his life and ready to dress down practically anyone who talks to him. The film itself is an amusing character study with unanticipated turns.

But don't think you can write the script because Vincent and the motley crew of his life have surprises that do not fit the usual bitter old guy formula. The saving grace is the honesty Murray invests in the role, which requires him also to display caring characteristics not immediately apparent. That we are probably spying into the eccentric character of Bill Murray through Vincent is an added treat.

The catalyst for the clichéd curmudgeon turnaround is a new pre-teen next door neighbor, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), who is thrust on Vincent for after school babysitting by med-tech mom, Maggie (Melissa McCarthy). While the bonding is to be expected, Vincent and Oliver do a long dance before any saintly traits emerge. Yet Oliver learns what saints don't ordinarily do, like fight and gamble. As we learn, those aren't necessarily negatives.

Although Naomi Watts' Russian hooker is a bit over the top in beauty and heart of gold categories, she manages to project a simple love for Vincent, a symbol for everyone who loves Vincent even as rough as he is. Although Vincent could be loved for only his Vietnam experience, he does low-key, un-Mother -Teresa-like acts of kindness that could qualify him for sainthood.

That's the important theme of this tragicomedy: Being good, loved, and saintly are within the grasp of the most common among us, implying that imperfection is a constant of being human and maybe a bigger credential than piety when that sinfulness is transformed into good deeds.

St. Vincent is an entertaining film with a well-worn message, but Bill Murray, in his finest role since Lost in Translation, transforms it into holiness.

The grumpy and unpleasant Vincent (Bill Murray) is a veteran Vietnam sergeant completely broken that gambles in horse races and owes money to the shark Zucko (Terrence Howard). He is a regular client of the stripper Daka (Naomi Watts) that is closed to him. When the CT operator Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) moves with her son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) to the next-door house, Vincent offers to babysit him to make money. Maggie, who is facing a divorce process, accepts and soon Vincent finds that Oliver is bullied at school. He teaches the boy how to defend himself; he takes him to visit Sandy (Donna Mitchell) in a nursing home; and to go to the horse races and bars. Soon they become friends and partners. When Brother Geraghty (Chris O'Dowd ) asks his students to prepare a lecture about a saint, Oliver learns the life of Vincent and understands his behavior.

"St. Vincent" is an entertaining dramatic comedy with great characters and dialogs. Bill Murray is very funny with his behavior and lines. Jaeden Lieberher seems to be a promising actor with magnificent performance in his debut. Naomi Watts and Melissa McCarthy complete the lead cast with also wonderful performances. It is impossible to highlight the best moments of this film. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Um Santo Vizinho" ("A Holy Neighbor")

Bill Murray can mug with the best of them and in this film he is pretty much the whole thing. Playing a Vietnam vet, Vincent, who has seen better times, he parlays his drunkenness into opportunity. The film begins with him totally wasted, backing his car, an old woody convertible, over his picket fence. The next day, a couple of Hispanic movers bringing a middle aged woman (Melissa McCarthy) and her son to their new digs, damages a tree branch. Murray uses this to threaten her with a law suit unless she pays up. It's obvious that she doesn't have much money. It turns out that she and her son are escaping her husband, a philanderer, and the two are on the road to divorces. What ensues is a relationship that grows out of necessity as Murray is enlisted to look after the boy, Oliver, at significant cost to the mother. The kid now becomes a part of Murray's daily forays into irresponsibility: bars, horse track, joy riding, etc. He also brings the child to a hospital where his Alzheimers stricken wife lives. Murray is devoted to her, even though he has an ongoing thing with a Russian hooker, Naomi Watts, whom he may have impregnated. She has the heart of gold in a combative personality. The boy, Jaeden Liebehrer, is a gem of an actor. He has this fatalistic sense to him. He knows he will remain the perpetual victim, but when Vincent comes into his life, he begins to absorb tools to try to get by. Mom works sixteen hour shifts and has no idea of what goes on after Murray picks the boy up from school. What is heartening is that nothing is simple here. Murray continues his bad ways almost throughout, but we know he has a marshmallow center. With all the darkness in the world, give this one a shot.

If someone can play a character who seems despicable, but has a warmth to him (and has more dimensions than one), it definitely is Bill Murray. And he's showing it off here. While this might have gone completely wrong with someone else in the lead, this works almost perfectly. You also get to see Melissa McCarthy being the "straight" person for once. Yes she can act and be more than just a goof-ball.

Naomi Watts has a difficult small role, but she manages to do a fine job (even with that accent, that might put some people off, no pun intended). Also a great choice is the kid. He's obviously elemental and very important to the whole story. It may be slow paced and some might not feel the complete impact towards the end, but the movie does a very solid job