What's new

St. Vincent - quick review (1 Viewer)

Patrick Sun

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 30, 1999
Messages
39,659
Bill Murray headlines this film about a curmudgeon named Vincent, and how his life changes a bit when a mother (Melissa McCarthy) and her son Oliver move in next door, and Vincent ends up with babysitting duties after school because he needs the money, and she needs someone to look after Oliver. Providing some weird comic relief is Daka (Naomi Watts with a Russian accent, a pregnant lady of the night who Vincent sees on a regular basis.

The film might not sound interesting, but it's a nice throwback to films with stories that deal with unlikely pairings of characters and a splash or two of dramatic conflict, and providing the tried-n-true bits of character arcs throughout the story, even with nods to human foibles and disappointing actions driven by desperation, but underneath the surface, a more careful examination reveals nobility in spite of the rough exteriors.

While it's a very understated film, it does well with the highs and lows and sustains its narrative momentum throughout its running time. It's not a outrageously funny film, but there are nicely set up laughs that come through organically from its narrative, and from the interplay between the characters. It's nice to see character-driven dramedies still being made.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,710
Messages
5,121,132
Members
144,146
Latest member
SaladinNagasawa
Recent bookmarks
0
Top