Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • November 19, 2014 Bill Murray film is riveting study of human nature Melissa McCarthy, Jaeden Lieberher, and Bill Murray. by Dennis Seuling “St. Vincent” is the kind of movie that is sadly being edged out of multiplexes by overblown, mega-budget action flicks. This is a small film about real people with real problems, flaws, and an inherent dignity that reaffirms the fact that there are hard- working, decent people out there. Vincent (Bill Murray) is what folks call a curmudgeon. He does not warm to people and his closed-off attitude keeps others at a distance. For Vincent, this is fine. It allows him to live life as he wants to — seeing a local lady of the evening (Naomi Watts) regularly, drinking before noon, chain smoking, and going to the race track and gambling on the ponies. His life changes when Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) move in next door. Things get off to a rough start when the moving van Maggie has hired clips a branch of a sturdy old tree in front of Vincent’s house. Maggie is a single mother starting a new job as a medical technician that requires her to work irregular, long hours. She cannot rely on being around for Oliver after school. When bullies take the boy’s wallet and house key, Oliver has to walk home and cannot get in his house. Oliver asks to use Vincent’s phone to call his mom. Since Vincent’s sources of income are limited, he offers Maggie a deal to look after Oliver until she gets home from work. Having nowhere else to turn, Maggie agrees. At this point, director Theodore Melfi allows viewers a closer look at the lives and backgrounds of Vincent and Maggie. Vincent turns out to be far more complex and interesting than one might first imag- ine. Maggie is not a mere comedy bounc- ing board, but a very real woman going through hard times and trying to be the best mother she can, all the while harbor- ing guilt because she cannot look after Oliver 100% of the time. Murray does double duty in “St. Vin- cent.” He elicits laughs with his grungy, gruff characterization while showing a depth that is often missing from lesser screen comedies. This approach lets view- ers see a multi-faceted individual rather than a dispenser of one-liners. Much of the film’s humor derives from the relationship between Vincent and Oliver, as the boy’s innocence comes crashing into Vincent’s unbridled hedonism. Oliver gets many les- sons in life as a result, but far too soon and from the oddest of role models. McCarthy, who has built a career play- ing slovenly, foul-mouthed women in full- out slapstick style, turns in a surprisingly touching, restrained portrayal as Maggie. This is a solid characterization, even though her screen time is far less than Murray’s. In fact, she is almost a straight man in the scenes she shares with Murray. Because she is not a wisecracking, jokey mother, viewers take Maggie seriously. There is a subplot involving a loan shark (Terrence Howard) who is getting impa- tient for his money. While that storyline never really goes anyplace significant, “St. Vincent” is an engaging portrait of a man whose actions and appearance define him in his community. His past is largely kept to himself, but as it is revealed, viewers see that Vincent is far more than a Hawaiian- shirted ne’er-do-well loafing on a lounge chair in his back yard, drink in hand. Rated PG-13, “St. Vincent” does not include a single explosion or gunshot, but it is a riv- eting, entertaining study in human nature. Cook Up Some Business! Advertise your restaurant in The Villadom TIMES. You’ll reach over 47,000 households. 201-652-0744 www.villadom.com