St. Vincent isn’t heavenly, but messy good.

PG-13

Grade: B-

In a Nutshell: It never ceases to amaze me at what qualifies for a PG-13 movie these days. The content in this movie is quite mature and inappropriate for children, even though a little boy named Oliver stars in the movie, played by the talented, young Jaeden Lieberher.

Hilarious Bill Murray plays a crusty old guy who swears, smokes, gambles, drinks, and pays weekly visits to a pregnant prostitute…hardly the father-figure that Oliver needs or one that you want your kids to watch. Nevertheless, the movie has heart. Bill Murray’s performance is stellar and is already receiving Oscar buzz. McCarthy plays the straight role as a hard-working single mom whose frenzied life collides with Bill Murray’s.

Uplifting Theme:

“A saint is a human being we celebrate for their commitment and dedication to other human beings, for the sacrifices that they make, for their hard work in making the world a better place for those around us and for those who will follow them.” – Brother Geraghty

“I do happen to believe that there are saints all around us today. They may never be considered as such by religion, but they are just as important as the ones in your textbooks.” – Brother Geraghty

Things I liked:

Chris O’Dowd plays a snarky Catholic priest who inspires young minds to look for the good in the world. He has a believable accent and some of the best lines in the movie.
The lovely Naomi Watts is fantastic and chose this film because she had been looking for a comedy to “lighten” her career.
The characters feel real in their messy lives.
I loved Oliver’s sweet innocence combined with his young wisdom.
Even the rotten kids at school said “Sir.” Why couldn’t I ever get my kids to say that?
True to the disheveled characters, nothing gets wrapped up in a tidy Hollywood bow in the end, but there are some “feel good” moments that will leave you smiling in the end.
Saints don’t always come with halos.

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t have to see a character in bed with a prostitute to understand the story line.
Vince’s wife seemed too classy to be married to such a curmudgeon. Did his character really change that much when she became ill or did she see the “sainthood” in him too?
Wait for it to come out on DVD or Redbox. It’s not worth the hefty movie theater price.

Funny lines:

“It is what it is? Everyone’s saying that these days. What it means is “You who are screwed shall remain screwed.” – Vince

“Dumbness does not play well in heaven.” – Brother Geraghty

“Take me God. Don’t play with me.” – St. Vincent

“I think I’m Jewish.” – Oliver OK. Good to know. – Brother Geraghty (Chris O’Dowd)

“Your father never taught you to defend yourself?” – St. Vincent “No Sir. He’s a pacifist.” – Oliver Well, this country wasn’t founded by tree huggers, that’s for sure. You need to defend yourself or you get mowed down.” – St. Vincent “I’m small, if you haven’t noticed.” – Oliver “Yeah, so was Hitler.” – St. Vincent

“When will you become like man?” – prostitute

“I’m a Catholic, which is the best religion of all religions, because we have the most rules and the best clothes.” – priest

“This food beats hunger.” – St. Vincent

Tips for parents: The movie starts with Vince having sex in bed with a pregnant prostitute. Yeah…not exactly a family-friendly movie. There is a lot of profanity, including one F-bomb. Vince takes Oliver to the horse races, a bar, and surrounds him with cigarette smoke and filth of all kinds.