St. Vincent

— Let me begin by saying I liked this film even though it was predictable and threw every imaginable cliché at me. A curmudgeon who’s a cross between Jack Nicholson and Walter Matthau, a mother starting over with and her innocent son after leaving her cheating husband, a pregnant Russian prostitute, a bully, a loan shark, and even a perfectly groomed white cat. The plot may be a familiar, but the actors add nuance to almost every line. It’s definitely Bill Murray’s film and he does a remarkable job, but credit also goes to Melissa McCarthy who toned down her usual, somewhat physical, comedic shtick, to play a believable mother struggling to start a new life, as well as to Jaeden Lieberher who plays the son without the smugness and cuteness that makes you want to slap most child actors. I laughed, I cried, and only very rarely did I groan. Go to see Murray.

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[2014. 102 min. Written and directed by Theodore Melfi. Starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Jaeden Lieberher, Maomi Watts, and Chris O’Dowd.]
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140906-bill-murray-deserves-better-films