St. Vincent (2014)

☆ ☆

St. Vincent (2014) – T. Melfi

I'm choking on sentimentality here. I watched this for Bill Murray and only for Bill Murray. Aside from the distracting accent, I think he basically gave an honest or true portrayal here, as a general misanthrope who is nevertheless a pretty good guy under the surface. Naomi Watts also fares well, able to submerge herself into the role of a blunt Russian hooker who "works" for him (although she's pretty much just working a cliché). But, man, someone spoiled the movie around them. Perhaps it is the soundtrack with its cloying gently prodding piano and soft-rock, urging us to feel the moments. Or is it just the middlebrow American saccharine tone (with a bit of a religious undertone) that bugs me? There's no edge, no edge. This is a movie about a misanthrope but he's a fake, the whole thing is a sham, an act. I should have realized when the kid showed up and Bill Murray became his baby-sitter (but it isn't a kids' movie with all that swearing, is it? Who is it for?) that this was going to take a turn for the worse. Someone keeps writing these neutered films that try to show us characters with "heart" but they lose reality along the way. Bleah.