ST VINCENT
US, 2014, 102 minutes, Colour.
Bill Murray, Melissa Mc Carthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O' Dowd, Terrence Howard, Jaeden Lieberher, Kimberly Quinn, Donna Mitchell, Ann Dowd, Scott Adsit.
Directed by Theodore Melfi.
Do you have a working definition of a saint? Do you have an opinion of what holiness comprises?
These are fair enough questions to put before the audience because Brother Geraghty, at St Patrick’s School in Brooklyn, asks these same questions of his young students as he conducts a course on saints, contemporary saints. Of course, they come up with Mother Teresa as many audiences would. But, are there some unlikely saints? With a title like St Vincent, this film will probably put forward a case.
Especially when Vincent is played by Bill Murray, who in the past has been scrooged, lost in Tokyo and in translation, and can do a very good eccentrically misanthropic curmudgeon. Which he does here. This is Bill Murray and his best, completely inhabiting an oddball character, interacting with others with seemingly little regard for their opinions and feelings. The first thing we see as him drinking and driving home drunk, backing into his house and smashing his picket fence. No worries, he goes inside his messy house, drinking and watching television. Such is his life.
It changes the next morning when a delivery van backs into his fence and knocks down a branch from his tree, never confessing that he had already broken the fence and, throughout the film, getting it mended and paid for by others! The delivery van is for Maggie (Melissa Mc Carthy in a rather enjoyably toned-down performance from her usual) and Oliver (a very welcome child actor, Jaeden Lieberher), a polite and sensible young man, aged 11, who, we know, will have a transforming influence on Vin (but don’t get your hopes too high).
Maggie, of course, has separated from her philandering husband, is wary about court proceedings for custody, is busy with her job at the hospital, and find she has to leave Oliver in Vin’s care (not without financial cost to herself).
Oliver is slight and is bullied at school but, fortunately, although none of us and the characters approve of fighting, Vin has been a boxer and trains Oliver with his punching bag to do a fierce upper cut. And that is not the only influence Viin has on Oliver, taking him to the races where his threatening bookie (Terrence Howard) is after repayment, taking him to a bar to meet his friends, but Oliver drinking only cola. Then there is Vin’s friend, who, Vin explains to Oliver, is a “lady of the night”. Daka is played by Naomi Watts, Russian-accented and all, a good friend to Vin, cleans up his house, is pregnant and helped by Vin with insurance coverage as well as buying a pram. Oliver takes much of this for granted, as well as a visit to a residence for the elderly where Vin’s wife rather cheerfully lives with dementia, Ben visiting her and pretending to be her doctor.
This means that there is quite a lot of plot, especially with Vin’s later hospitalisation and therapy, with everybody pitching in. And the custody court case where Maggie realises that she does not know a lot of what has been going on.
In the meantime, Brother Geraghty (and exuberantly Irish Chris O’ Dowd) has been a good support, helps the students through an understanding of what goodness in contemporary society could mean, and gets them to do a project on a Saint they have experienced, possibly a parent. So it’s not spoiling the plot when we realise that Oliver researches Vin, finds out a great deal about his life which surprises us, and then presents his project to the school, family and friends.
So, by the end of the film, audiences will be measuring Vin and his alleged sanctity against people they know – and, as from the Gospels and Jesus’ friendship with and compassion for those on society’s edge, we can acknowledge that it is not quite inappropriate to call Oliver’s friend and mentor, St Vincent.
1. The title? Expectations? Vin, his attitudes, his life story, his behaviour, curmudgeon, eccentric, misanthropic?
2. The Brooklyn settings, the suburban streets, homes and interiors, the fence, the tree? The school, classroom, the yard, bullying? Belmont Park and the races? The bar? The home for the elderly? The hospital? Songs and the musical score? The final song, Shelter from the Storm, Vin singing it with Bob Dylan?
3. Bill Murray tour-de-force? First seen drinking, driving, backing in, destroying the fence? His room, mess, the television, the fridge? The sexual experience with Daka? His photos – and later throwing them out? The gradual revelation about his life, in Vietnam, boxing, the decorations, his heroism? The many decades of happiness with his wife, dementia, visiting her and pretending to be the doctor and? Going to the races, the bookie and Vin’s debts? Attitudes? Wisecracks, harsh?
4. The removal van, knocking the branch, the fence? Maggie and Oliver? The reaction? Vin’s reaction? Maggie and her work at the hospital, the demands for overtime? Oliver, the bullying and the boys’ remarks, losing his key, waiting outside, talking with Vin, polite, Vin’s reaction, bringing him in, laughing at Abbott and Costello, the sardines as sushi? The discussions with Maggie, the money deals per hour? Vin and phone calls, hanging up on alleged marketers? Picking up Oliver, seeing him being bullied, the threats to the other boys, breaking the skateboard? Vin not wanting long stories? Taking Oliver to the punching bag, training him with the upper cut? Taking Oliver to the races, explaining the odds, their bets, losing? the bookie and his threats? The bar, the friends, their talk at the bar, the manager and his attitude, drinking cola? Explaining Daka as a lady of the night? The bonds between the two? His going with Vin to see his wife, assisting in affirming? Anna the nurse and her kindness? Maggie not knowing any of this?
5. Vin’s financial situation, losing in his accont, the big win at the races, covering it, starting an account for Oliver? Later using it for his debts?
6. Maggie, her marriage, her husband’s infidelities, the separation, with Oliver, making it on their own? The threats about custody, going to the court, the judge and her reactions, the documents and all the information about Vin with Oliver?
7. At school, the invitation to say the morning prayer, saying he was Jewish, Brother Geraghty and his style, the welcome? Oliver and his drawing? The classes about the saints, his interest, William of Rochester? Brother Geraghty friendly, the explanations about holiness and helping people? The bullying, Oliver and his using the upper cut, breaking Robert’s nose – and the reconciliation, Robert’s name, the play together?
8. With the Monsignor and with Brother Geraghty? Maggie and her explanations? The project, Oliver researching Vin, recuperating the photos, interviewing all the people, gathering the information and Vince’s life story? The buildup to the presentation? Daka and her pretending that her waters had broken and forcing Vin to the school? The people from the bar? His mother and father? The nurse, Anna?
9. Vin and his having a stroke, going to the hospital, the visitors, his crankiness, the range of therapy, learning to speak again, picking up the marbles with his toes? Gradually recovering? Racing in wheelchairs in the corridors with Oliver? Daka and her looking after him? Getting out, buying the prams, recovering?
10. Daka, the Russian background, work, stripping, her accent and vocabulary? Sex, on Vince’s stomach? Her pregnancy, the ultrasound, the fact that the baby was a girl, Vin covering the insurance, the buying of the pram and changing the prices? Her cleaning up, making the house habitable? at the hospital? Vin stealing the pills and trying to sell them? Daka with Oliver, with Maggie, all together?
11. Maggie in the court, the issues of custody, Oliver acknowledging his father as his father, the outings with him? Vin and his telling Maggie off? Her love for Oliver, the need for work?
12. The hospital, the staff, the therapy?
13. Vin’s wife, the residence, his paying the money, the nurse looking after her, his doing the washing, taking Oliver to visit? The discussions with the manager, his having to find the money or her being moved? Her dying while he was in hospital, their not being able to contact him, the box, her remains? Going with Oliver to the quiet place?
14. Vin still crusty, crotchety, Daka taking him in the car, going to the school, hearing about himself and his saintliness, accepting the medal?
15. Everybody together at the end – and a positive message, that love and forgiveness cover a multitude of sins? And Vin singing the song during the final credits, memories of the 60s, Bob Dylan?
