Would you let Bill Murray watch your child? Aside from the potential for the kid to show up at someone’s karaoke party or at random golf events, we’d imagine he’s a fairly adept babysitter. But in St. Vincent, Murray plays the grumpy neighbour who grudgingly spends time with a young new arrival next door.
In the indie comedy drama, Murray plays Vincent, a drunken, gambling retiree who is recruited by his new single-mother neighbour (Melissa McCarthy) to watch over her undersized 12-year-old son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Vincent’s ideas of after-school activities involve racetracks and strip clubs (where they meet “lady of the night” Naomi Watts), but – as you might suspect – eventually the pair bond and share life lessons.
This one looks to give Murray a chance to break out in the style of some of his classic roles, and for McCarthy to play someone different from the slobby, OTT people she’s generally played for the last few years. And Chris O’Dowd even joins the cast as a teacher… While it could feel awfully familiar, there’s at least the hopeful spark of something here.
**St. Vincent **is out in the States on October 24, but we’ll have to wait and see when (or if) it’ll make it over here.