All right, America, let's show some love for St. Vincent, the new film starring Bill Murray. If you have not yet seen it, get up and go to a theater near you where hopefully it is playing. This movie is worth the price of admission, as few are these days, and is too good to wait for it to come out on DVD.
Bill Murray stars as Vincent, a man whose best days appear to be behind him. He drinks too much, smokes too much and gambles too much. Aside from the horses his favorite pastime is associating with "lady of the night" Daka (Naomi Watts) but even these efforts are half-hearted. Vincent is a man who is enduring his life but not living his life.
Then two new neighbors crash into his life. They are Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Maggie is a recent divorcee' and has to work. This means she needs to pay someone to watch her eleven year old son. Vincent signs on for the job. Of course any idiot could see he is not a good role model for an easy influenced child.
The movie centers around this relationship and extends to include an assortment of characters who are involved in their lives. It also shows how these two develop a symbiotic relationship that benefits them in unexpected ways.
For some reason a movie that shows its heart and digs out emotions from the audience is a risky premise these days. A lot of people just don't want to get that involved with a story of this type or with tender and appealing characters. In these days of fear and dread we tend to shut out these emotions and keep our eyes on the ground and speed in our steps. What a shame!
This movie should be seen for the brilliant performance by Murray. It is a perfect match of man and role. He becomes Vincent and the performance is not so much acting but rather a living experience. Then when you pair him with Lieberher, who has to be one of the best child actors to come along in decades, there is truly movie magic.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity, mild violence and adult situations.
St. Vincent is a movie cynics will hate because it does have a strong message concerning love and friendship. So you need to go to see it with an open mind and an open heart, and let your emotions roam free. There is nothing wrong with appreciating goodness in even the most unlikely places.
Come on, America, show this movie the love it deserves.
I scored St. Vincent a holy 9 out of 10.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com