Day 238: St. Vincent (November, 2)

St. Vincent is a movie that had a big probability of being super silly and even awfully bad. That's one reason why I missed it in the theaters when it was released. A boaster of a neighbor (played by Bill Murray) baby sits the son of Melissa McCarty (I love her from Gilmore Girls, but she has on her resume really trashy movies - I'm happy for her success, though). And let's not forget the neighbor's commitment to a Russian prostitute with a bad accent (Naomi Watts in a quite unusual role looked like the only interesting thing in here).

However, this movie was in fact a good surprise, mostly because of the kid in question, who oddly had no space on the film's poster, but is the soul of this story. Jaeder Lieberher is outstanding, and we fall for him immediately. He is a no nonsense boy, expressing his blunt opinions in a respectful way. He is, as many kids, a hostage of his parents antics and is able to deal admirably, not free of costs, though.   

There are another perks of persevering on this movie. Lieberher and Murray together are great. Their timing carries something that alludes to Wes Anderson's films (maybe it is like that because of Murray himself). The songs, the pace of this story, the more somber performance by Melissa McCarty, the almost hysterical one by Naomi Watts. It a movie of contrasts, presented through the support of a good cast and story. This way, even the cheesy event at the end, which is kind of mandatory in this kind of let's-see-his-redemption movie, is sweet and heartfelt.

An important note: the scene during the final credits is so, so good, referring to how sometimes redemption is not changing the persons who needs it, like we saw here last day. Don't miss that part (although I think it is pretty impossible to turn our backs to it).

St, Vincent. Directed and written by Theodore Melfi. Witb: Bill Murray,
Melissa McCarthy, Jaeden Lierbeher. USA, 2014, Dolby Digital, Color (Netflix).