St. Vincent - B

Rated PG-13, 103 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Murray's curmudgeon one of his best in the heartfelt, fun "St. Vincent"

Bill Murray's unmistakable charm has never been more on display in the entertaining, bittersweet new dramedy "St. Vincent," and he's so good here I wouldn't be surprised if he's nominated for an Oscar for his role a cranky retiree turned babysitter. Vincent (Murray), a drunken, gambling war veteran retiree, gets recruited by his new single-mom neighbor Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) to watch over her small grown 12-year-old son Oliver (newcomer Jaeden Lieberher in his feature debut). Vincent's ideas of after-school activities involve racetracks and strip clubs, but eventually the mismatched pair begin to help each other grow up. Directed and written by Theodore Melfi in an auspicious debut, "St. Vincent," much like Vincent himself, is flawed and imperfect, but Murray nails another one of his malcontents so perfectly you won't mind. No, it's not an out and out slapstick comedy, it does have a little more substance to it than that, and for the record, it's one of those rare movies that'll leave you both laughing and crying (particularly at the climax), so be sure to have plenty of tissues on hand. It helps that the young Lieberher, gives a likable, mostly unaffected performance as Vincent's partner in crime, as well as the fact it's nice seeing McCarthy play something different (she's normal here) other than the tough-talking broads she has become typecast. "St. Vincent" isn't perfect though: the story is weathered and predictable (though tremendously fun) and as a Russian hooker that Vincent helps, talented Oscar-nominee Naomi Watts is miscast here and her role an unnecessary hindrance. Murray, a brilliant comedian and actor whose range is wide and often unpredictable, from army privates ("Stripes" still remains one of my favorites to this day) to U.S. Presidents to quirky Wes Anderson movies, has us wrapped around his finger for most of the movie, and there's little he could do or say here, as much as he tries, that would make us hate him. The enjoyable and touching "St. Vincent" is Murray at his best and for that this is one you should see.