Taglines: Love thy neighbor.
St. Vincent is an American comedy-drama film written and directed by Theodore Melfi, making his feature film debut. The film stars Bill Murray as the title character with Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd, and Naomi Watts. The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival where it won 2nd runner up as “People’s Choice Award for Best Film”. It was released theatrically on October 24, 2014.
Filming began the first week of July 2013, with scenes filmed in Brooklyn, New York and at Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island, New York. On December 26, 2013, Theodore Shapiro was hired to score the film. Sony Classical Records released the soundtrack album on October 27, 2014.
Vincent MacKenna (Bill Murray) is a Vietnam War veteran and retiree living in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, who is the son of Irish immigrants. He is a grumpy alcoholic who smokes and gambles regularly. His wife, Sandy (Donna Mitchell), developed Alzheimer’s Disease years ago and can no longer recognize him, but he still does her laundry for her at the nursing home where she lives and visits her every week, posing as a doctor. Otherwise, Vincent’s only other close friends are a pregnant Russian prostitute named Daka (Naomi Watts) and his cat, Felix, as he owes many people money. Despite leading a quiet and boring existence, Vincent has many acquaintances who like and respect him.
One day, after Vincent’s 30-year-old Chrysler Lebaron gets damaged by a tree branch resulting from his new neighbors moving in, Maggie Bronstein (Melissa McCarthy) and her 12-year-old son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), meet Vincent. Maggie is a single mother fighting for custody after her husband had several affairs. Despite this, she is doing her best to provide for Oliver, who is ostracised and bullied at his Catholic school, but is nonetheless knowledgeable and friendly. On his first day at his school, Oliver’s phone and house keys are stolen from his gym locker. Oliver asks Vincent if he can stay at his home until his mother comes home from work. Maggie is late and she pays Vincent for babysitting.
Now that Vincent has money coming in, Vincent starts babysitting Oliver every day after school because Maggie often has to work late hours. Vincent’s ideas of after-school activities involve visits to racetracks and bars, but eventually the mismatched pair begin to help each other mature. Vincent teaches Oliver how to fight, and he breaks his bully’s nose, but the two soon become best friends. Vincent and Oliver quickly become good friends and a lucky bet at the racetracks help Vincent to pay off some of his debts. But things do not get any easier for Vincent, as he gambles away the rest of his money, hoping to make more to keep Sandy in her nursing home, as he is behind on payments. Vincent is also interrogated in his home by his loan sharks Zucko (Terrence Howard) and Antwan (James Andrew O’Connor), who both attempt to take Sandy’s jewelry.
St. Vincent
Directed by: Theodore Melfi
Starring: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O’Dowd, Terrence Howard, Kimberly Quinn, Ann Dowd
Screenplay by: Theodore Melfi
Production Design by: Inbal Weinberg
Cinematography by: John Lindley
Film Editing by: Sarah Flack, Peter Teschner
Costume Design by: Kasia Walicka-Maimone
Set Decoration by: Jasmine E. Ballou, Graham Wichman
Music by: Theodore Shapiro
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material including sexual content, alcohol and tobacco use, and for language.
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Visits: 99
