St. Vincent

When I watch a comedy film from Wes Anderson ("Moonrise Kingdom"), Paul Thomas Anderson ("Boogie Nights") or even The Coen Brothers, I think quirky, dry-witted and even weird. Well, when seeing "St. Vincent", it seemed to have a similar style of these notorious writers and directors, however I soon realized that it wasn't which surprised me. This being so dry that it seemed almost serious made this even a more appealing film than you'd expect.

Maggie (Melissa McCarthy), a newly divorced single mother, moves into a new home in Brooklyn with her 12-year old son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Forced to work long hours, she has no choice but to leave Oliver in the care of their new neighbor, Vincent (Bill Murray), a retired, bawdy curmudgeon with a penchant for alcohol and gambling. An odd friendship soon blossoms between the improbable pair. Together with a pregnant stripper named Daka (Naomi Watts), Vincent brings Oliver along on all the stops that make up his daily routine-- the race track, a strip club, and the local dive bar. Vincent helps Oliver grow to become a man, while Oliver begins to see in Vincent something that no one else is able to: a misunderstood man with a good heart.

Others to round out the cast are Chris O'Dowd as Brother Geraghty, Oliver's teacher, Terrence Howard as Zucko, a loan shark, Kimberly Quinn as Nurse Ana, Lenny Venito as Coach Mitchell, Dario Barosso as Ocinski, a classmate of Oliver's, Donna Mitchell as Sandy, Ann Dowd as Shirley, Sunnyside Administrator, and Nate Corddry as Terry.

This was well written and directed by Theodore Melfi ("Winding Roads" '99) plus many shorts. Granted, this guy is no Wes Anderson or Paul Thomas Anderson, but considering this guy has only written and directed one other feature film, this filmmaker is definitely going to go places. The subtle, dry comedy is not easy to accomplish, especially when it is coupled with some dramatic aspects that can pull the heartstrings. This is usually accompanied with a veteran, seasoned professional. This is one of Murray's better efforts and it was certainly interesting to see McCarthy in a 'straight' across the board actor, obviously giving center stage to Murray. This being the young actor, Lieberher's introduction to films, I can safely say he will be in more projects. He was a natural and held his own while around Murray. And Watts' Slavic dialect was a hoot! She had to have had a ball making this. Melfi's a little rough around the edges, however given more work, he will become yet another Wes Anderson and the like.

Between the premise, acting, writing and directing, this certainly has something for all kinds of people. It's quirky, fun, odd and entertaining all in the same film.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                   Rated: R                                     102mins.