Film review: ‘St Vincent’

Two miracles needed for sainthood – when’s the sequel?

Dir: Theodore Melfi; US comedy, 2014, 102 mins; Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher

PREMIERED APRIL 30
PLAYING NATIONWIDE

The celebrated comic actor, Bill Murray, has given us many iconic characters, from Pete Venkman in Ghostbusters and Phil the weatherman in Groundhog Day, to the cementing of his indie-credibility via collaborations with fashionable directors such as Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch and his memorable turn in Tokyo for Sophia Coppola’s Lost In Translation.

Notoriously reclusive, his relationship with Tinseltown is an unconventional one at best – he has no agent, which is practically unheard of for an actor of his calibre, and apparently he vets scripts on the basis of whether or not they offer him ‘intellectual stimulation’. Probably for that reason alone, when Murray deems a project to have met all the necessary criteria, it will likely be worth paying attention to. This time, it’s writer/director and feature debutant Theodore Melfi who is the lucky beneficiary of the Murray magic.

About a boy and a grinch

Vincent (Murray) is a hard-drinking, hard-living, grouchy old misanthrope who is riddled with debt and self-loathing. Turning to gambling as a means to alleviate his predicament prove as successful as you’d imagine and so, when the opportunity arrives to fleece his new neighbour, single mother Maggie (McCarthy), for babysitting money, he takes all she can give.

During his time with the woman’s young son (Liebeher), also something of a social misfit as it turns out, Vincent predictably has his hard heart turned to mush by the hapless scallywag. The pair frequent bars, betting offices and brothels as they discover, despite their age difference, each has plenty of wisdom to offer the other.

Predictable, but not plodding

If this film fails in any department, it isn’t the signposts. From the moment the caustic curmudgeon agrees to babysit the adorable tyke (around ten minutes in), we know where this film is going.

This notion is further cemented by the boy’s time at school, during which the religious studies teacher, amusingly played by Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd), informs his pupils that their next project will be concerned with saints – and soon, each pupil is asked to identify a real-life saint living among them.

Fortunate then, that this isn’t a film whose enjoyment is derived from the twists and turns of the plot.

Far from it.

Miracle man Murray

It’s hard to imagine Murray found this script ‘intellectually stimulating’, but director Melfi has wisely allowed the actor room enough to make Vincent all his own. The film is a perfectly pleasing diversion that seems content to hinge entirely on Murray’s comic brilliance.

That is not to say that the film isn’t adequately directed or well-cast. Young Lieberher’s deadpan delivery is almost never annoying (something of an achievement for pre-adolescent actors), McCarthy generates genuine sympathy for her overworked casualty nurse and Watts puts in an absurdly game turn as the Russian, pregnant, pole-dancing prostitute. But without Murray’s unique charisma, the film, crippled by predictability, could easily have slipped directly into the bargain box at your petrol station.

The inclusion of an eminently watchable Bill Murray won’t automatically elevate mediocre material to indie gold (Broken Flowers and Zombieland stand testament to this), but it will help.




  • Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    On February 14 and 15, the last terrorist attack took place in Denmark. Another episode occurred in 2022, but in that case, there was no political motive behind it

  • Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    We all know Christiania and have been there at least once. But how does the Freetown work? How are decisions made? Can a person move there? Is there rent or bills to pay? British journalist Dave Wood wrote a reportage on Christiania for The Copenhagen Post.

  • The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    Isha Thapa unfolds her research “An Analysis on the Inclusivity and Integration of South Asian Women in High-Skilled Jobs within the Danish Labor Market”. Thapa describes the systemic and social challenges these women face, ranging from barriers in social capital to cultural integration.

  • Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Most parents in Denmark reject using social media parental controls despite knowing about them. A new study questions the effectiveness of these tools in ensuring children’s online safety.

  • Analysis: we need a different education system for international children in Denmark

    Analysis: we need a different education system for international children in Denmark

    Data analyst Kelly Draper Rasmussen highlights that Denmark sees peaks in international migration during early childhood and high school years. However, with only one international education option, many families are forced to leave to secure different opportunities for their children.

  • Danish Refugee Council to lay off up to 2,000 staff

    Danish Refugee Council to lay off up to 2,000 staff

    After the anticipation from The Copenhagen Post, a press release by DRC has confirmed the plan to lay off thousands of employees in response to the recent halt of foreign aid spending by the Trump administration.