St. Vincent
Directed by Theodore Melfi
Distributed by The Weinstein Company
We can all agree that no one person in the world right now is a saint. People lie, steal, fight, and argue. Bottom line: we are sinful. So should the definition of sainthood be rewritten?
Theodore Melfi’s St. Vincent brings magic back to humanity and definitely restores my faith in the world. This film grabs you and pulls you deep into the dirt and grime of New York. It makes you feel not only the sadness of humanity but the beauty in the faults people have.
Vincent MacKenna, played by the beloved Bill Murray, is a gambling, selfish, miserable, angry old war veteran who will give you some laughs but also capture your heart.
Melissa McCarthy plays Maggie Bronstein, a humble, single mother trying to start a new life for her son, Oliver Bronstein, who hires MacKenna to babysit the boy.
To complicate the situation, MacKenna also has a “lady of the night” girlfriend played by the beautiful Naomi Watts who moonlights as a very exotic and very pregnant dancer.
With a cast like this, don’t expect goofs and laughs and simple antics. St. Vincent has a soul, no pun intended, and is a very intelligent, well-written film that speaks to all ages about the true definition of humanity.
It also makes you really wonder on what experiences do people need to have gone through to make you more human than others? Or what experiences define you as a bad person?
Up and coming Jaeden Lieberher plays Oliver Bronstein, who steals the show with his big eyes and innocent face.
He is a perfect contrast against MacKenna’s rough and rugged exterior.
Dealing with his parents in a custody battle and being bullied at a strict Catholic school, Oliver seeks friendship in his lonely, grumpy, and very strange neighbor MacKenna and discovers there may be a lot more underneath the surface of MacKenna than he lets on.
Oliver’s display of innocence in the film really brings viewers back the innocence of their own childhood. This film shows how bright and hopeful the world looked through a child’s eyes, in contrast to MacKenna’s gloomy, dark view on humanity that he gave up on.
This film’s real message to this reviewer is that you don’t know everyone’s story and there may be a lot more saints in the world than you’d expect.
Add St. Vincent to your movie list, because I believe you will be seeing this movie and Bill Murray at the Oscars.
