Movie Breakdown: St. Vincent

People are doing traditional-style reviews all over the web, so we decided to try something different.  In each “breakdown” we’ll take a look at what a film’s marketing led us to believe, how the movie actually played, and then what we learned from it all.  Read on!

The Impression:

Bill Murray is a cranky old man who forms a special bond with a child and then mushy stuff happens.

The Reality:

If you’ve ever watched any sort of feel-good movie in your life, then you’ve already seen St. Vincent.  The film is rife with Oscar-bait-level cliches and every plot point in it is so predictable that many of you could probably guess them all correctly with nothing to go off but the trailer.  But you know what?  I liked it.  Yes, the film does absolutely nothing new, but it’s got a great sense of humor and it’s anchored by two immensely wonderful performances from Bill Murray and Jaeden Lieberher (Oliver, the kid next door).  Their moments on-screen (together and apart) are such a damn joy to watch that I willingly accepted every single generic moment – and there are a lot – that stormed off the screen.  See St. Vincent because of them.  And also, of course, to make sure you still have some feelings left in you.  Those are occasionally important, you know?

The Lesson:

Great actors make okay films better.