Daniela Coe-McNamara
Staff Writer
Any film starring Bill Murray is bound to be entertaining, which is proved in the fantastic film “Saint Vincent.”
With a fresh look at the dynamics between unlikely friends, “Saint Vincent” is a poignant, refreshing movie with a lot of spunk. Starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, and Naomi Watts, this unique and heartfelt movie is filled with comedy, sincerity, and individuality.
“Saint Vincent” displays the unlikely and idiosyncratic friendship between a retired veteran with many bad habits, and his new neighbor, a young child whose parents recently divorced. Played by Bill Murray, the old veteran, Vincent, enjoys gambling, drinking, and plenty of other racy and harmful tendencies. However, despite his seemingly self-centered and self-destructive compulsions, he begrudgingly befriends young Oliver, played by Jaeden Lieberher. Oliver’s working and now-single mother, played by Melissa McCarthy, is forced to leave her son in the care of his new friend as they adjust to their new school, home and lifestyle.
The ideals of family, biological and adopted, are a large underlying theme in “Saint Vincent.” Oliver is thrown out of his own family life as his parents divorce, a tribulation many children face today. This relation to the main child character makes Oliver a friendly character that kids can see as a portrayal of the life of a child of divorce. Murray’s role as the adopted father figure is another relatable character, as many family units have some form of a patriarchal figure, whether it is a father, grandfather, uncle, or family friend. These sympathetic characters create relatable figures for viewers in difficult family situations.
“Saint Vincent” is incredibly unique and rich with heart, as the characters fully immerse themselves into their roles. Bill Murray, who typically plays a comedic role, with stints on SNL and his hilarious voice for Garfield, takes on a challenging role as he plays a somewhat bitter but kind old man caring for a young child. Throughout the movie, Murray portrays his acting capabilities as a mentoring figure through his visible compassion towards Oliver, while attempting to maintain his figure as the grumpy veteran who wanted nothing to do with his new neighbors. His humor and mentoring in the movie display the truly distinct and heartwarming traits of the perfect guide for Oliver as he adjusts to life without his father.
Twelve year old Lieberher, a relatively new child actor, plays a sweet, confused young kid who is thrown into the trials and tribulations of being a child of divorce. Lieberher’s innocence and innate ability for acting in front of the camera shine in his role in “Saint Vincent,” as he plays the role of a maturing, wholesome young boy. Lieberher demonstrates his flourishing acting skills throughout the movie through his passion during dialogue and his visible, carefully calculated facial expressions and body positioning that give context to his feelings during the scene. While portraying his innocent character perfectly, Lieberher also demonstrates the understanding of a growing child as he learns from his older, occasionally raunchy mentor.
Melissa McCarthy, who typically plays roles of independent, hilarious women with no boundaries, switches it up quite a lot in her role as Maggie, Oliver’s mother. Maggie is a smart, strong woman focused on providing for her family, quite the opposite of many of McCarthy’s previous roles. Instead of her previous roles as the single, wild party animal, like in “Bridesmaids”, or the scheming, tacky woman in “Identity Theft”, McCarthy’s role as Maggie shows variety in her abilities as a renown actress. It is quite refreshing to see McCarthy’s talents in her performance as a dedicated single mother instead of her usual rowdy, comedic roles.
The refreshing comedic and heartfelt roles in “Saint Vincent” portray the strengths of every core actor in this unique and defining film. “Saint Vincent” is a charming, poignant movie with a well developed character list and storyline for a relatively new director. “Saint Vincent” is a pleasant surprise for viewers looking for a heartwarming tale of unlikely friends in a very modern setting.
“Saint Vincent” is rated PG-13 and available in theaters nationwide.
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