It’s
always a pleasant surprise to walk out of a movie thinking, “That was a
lot better than I thought it would be,” and that was my reaction to
“St. Vincent”.

I am not a fan of Bill Murray and it didn’t help
that once again he was playing a curmudgeon and that It didn’t help from
the first shot most of the audience laughed at everything he said and
did, even when not funny! I don’t remember at what point it happened but
all of a sudden he stopped playing Bill Murray and became Vincent.

Along
with being negative about going into a movie starring Bill Murray I was
also hesitant about seeing  Melissa McCarthy once again playing a loud
mouth, vulgar woman doing anything for a laugh but from her first
appearance on the screen she is playing a true character, Maggie, a
about to be divorced mother who is doing what she can to take care of
her son, Oliver, played by Jaeden Lieberher.

Lieberher, an 11
year old, underweight, is bullied his first day in a new school and, due
to the screenplay, is put together with Vincent. Okay you get a
precocious young boy and an old curmudgeon you know where this movie is
heading but Lieberher almost steals “St. Vincent” from Vincent!

As
a teacher priest, Brother Geraghty, (Chris O’Dowd) , a bookie Zucko,
(Terrace Howard),  Daka (Naomi Watts), a ‘lady of the night’ and paid
friend of Vincent’s who is pregnant, Sandy, (Donna Mitchell), from
Oliver’s classmates to all the extras every part is perfectly cast, with
the exception of Watts accent, and her being Russian, doesn’t add to
the film though she does.

The screenplay by Theodore Melfi holds
no surprises, but his direction of the actors and their inherit talent
is spot on, and will get the tears where he wants them.

In all
probability Murray will/should get starring award nominations as might
McCarthy will get supporting nominations and Jaeden Lieberher certainly
deserves accolades in his role as Oliver and a future career in movies.

“St. Vincent”, and Bill Murray, were a lot better than I thought they would be!