St. Vincent | |
---|---|
Directed by | Theodore Melfi |
Written by | Theodore Melfi |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | John Lindley |
Edited by | |
Music by | Theodore Shapiro |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | The Weinstein Company |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 102 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $13 million [2] |
Box office | $54.8 million [3] |
St. Vincent is a 2014 American comedy drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Theodore Melfi. [4] The film stars Bill Murray as the title character and it features Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, Terrence Howard, and Jaeden Lieberher in his film debut.
The film had its premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival where it was voted second runner-up for the People's Choice Award. [5] It received a limited theatrical release on October 10, 2014, and expanded to a wide release on October 24. [6] The same day, it was released on Netflix in France. [7] The film was a moderate commercial success, grossing $54.8 million against its $13.5 million budget, and received positive reviews from critics.
Vincent MacKenna is a retired, melancholic Vietnam War veteran living in Sheepshead Bay, who smokes, gambles and has a drinking problem. His wife, Sandy, has Alzheimer's and no longer recognizes him, but he poses as a doctor to visit her and does her laundry. Vincent's only close friends are his cat Felix and a pregnant Russian sex worker named Daka. Despite his rough persona, Vincent has acquaintances who admire and care about him.
Vincent's 30-year-old Chrysler LeBaron gets hit by a branch felled by his new neighbors' moving van. Maggie Bronstein, a radiology tech in the midst of a bitter divorce, and her son Oliver meet Vincent, who demands payment for the damage to his car and fence (the damage to the fence he had actually done himself). Maggie does her best to provide for Oliver, who is intelligent and kind-hearted but bullied at his Catholic school. On his first day at his school, Oliver's phone, wallet, and house keys are stolen by his classmate Robert. Oliver asks Vincent if he can stay at his home until his mother comes home from work. Vincent offers to continue "babysitting" for a fee.
Vincent picks up Oliver daily after school because Maggie often works late shifts. Vincent's ideas of after-school activities involve visits to racetracks and drinking in bars. Vincent teaches Oliver how to defend himself from bullies, resulting in Oliver breaking the nose of Robert, who later apologizes and gives back what he stole. Vincent and Oliver win a high-odds bet on the horses, enabling Vincent to pay off some of his debts. After staff in Sandy's nursing home remind him that he is behind on fees and tell him Sandy will be moved the next week if he does not pay what he owes in full, Vincent steals money from an account he set up for Oliver with their winnings from the track. He takes the money to the racetrack and gambles this money away hoping for a big win.
Vincent is confronted in his home by loan sharks Zucko and Antwan who attempt to take Sandy's jewelry. Vincent collapses while Zucko and Antwan leave him on the floor. Oliver finds him and calls emergency services. Vincent is hospitalized, told he has had a stroke, and has to undergo physical therapy. Oliver, Maggie, and Daka help Vincent recover, but his language remains stunted.
Oliver's father, a lawyer, finds out about Vincent and uses the information on gambling, introducing Oliver to a prostitute, and taking Oliver to bars to get joint custody with Maggie. Having been unaware of Vincent's behavior, Maggie tells Vincent that he can no longer see Oliver.
Vincent becomes depressed after finding out that Sandy died while he was hospitalized. He is given a box containing her few belongings and her ashes.
For his "Saints Among Us" school project, Oliver asks around the neighborhood about Vincent's past. Later, he nominates Vincent at the school's assembly, publicly declaring him “St. Vincent of Sheepshead Bay” and presenting him with a medal. Oliver's rationale comes from his teacher's definition of sainthood as a person showing commitment, dedication and sacrifice. Vincent fits this in terms of his wife; he also saved two fellow soldiers during the Vietnam War. The school audience is impressed by Oliver's speech and applaud Vincent, who has been tricked into attending the event by Daka.
Some time later, Daka gives birth to a baby girl and she, along with Maggie, Oliver, and Robert, go to Vincent's house, where they eat together as a surrogate family.
The screenplay, originally titled St. Vincent de Van Nuys, was written in 2011 by Melfi, and was included on the Hollywood Black List (the best unproduced scripts) of 2011. [8] [9]
Jack Nicholson was rumored to star in the film, but Murray signed on in July 2012. [10] On March 11, 2013, Melissa McCarthy was offered the lead female part and joined the cast. [11] On March 22, Chris O'Dowd joined the cast as a Catholic priest. [12] Naomi Watts joined the cast on April 22 in the role of a Russian prostitute. [13] On July 19, Scott Adsit joined the cast to play McCarthy's character's ex-husband. [14]
Filming began the first week of July 2013, with scenes filmed in Brooklyn, New York [15] [16] and at Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island, New York. [17]
On December 26, 2013, Theodore Shapiro was hired to score the film. [18] Sony Classical Records released the soundtrack album on October 27, 2014. [19] [20]
The first official trailer for the film was released on July 1, 2014. [21]
The Weinstein Company released the film on October 10, 2014, [6] in limited engagements, before making an expansion into wide release on October 24, 2014.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 77% based on 193 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The consensus reads, "St. Vincent offers the considerable pleasure of seeing Bill Murray back in funny form, but drifts into dangerously sentimental territory along the way." [22] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [23] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [24]
Richard Roeper gave the film a grade of "A", saying Murray's performance could "mean a Golden Globe". [25]
Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Toronto International Film Festival | People's Choice Award | Theodore Melfi | Nominated |
Masters Award | 3rd Place | |||
Chicago International Film Festival | Audience Choice Award | Nominated | ||
Heartland Film Festival | Truly Moving Picture Award | Theodore Melfi | Won | |
Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Melissa McCarthy | Runner-Up | |
Best Picture | Theodore Melfi | Nominated | ||
Best Director | Theodore Melfi | Nominated | ||
Washington D.C. Film Critics Association | Best Youth Performance | Jaeden Lieberher | Nominated | |
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Youth in Film | Jaeden Lieberher | Won | |
St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards | Best Comedy | Theodore Melfi | Nominated | |
2015 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress | Naomi Watts | Nominated |
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Performance by a Youth- Male | Jaeden Lieberher | Won | |
Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy | Theodore Melfi | Nominated | |
Best Actor - Musical or Comedy | Bill Murray | Nominated | ||
Broadcast Film Critics' Association Awards | Best Comedy | Theodore Melfi | Nominated | |
Best Actor in a Comedy | Bill Murray | Nominated | ||
Best Actress in a Comedy | Melissa McCarthy | Nominated | ||
Best Young Actor/Actress | Jaeden Lieberher | Nominated | ||
Casting Society of America [26] | Studio or Independent Comedy | Laura Rosenthal | Nominated | |
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards [27] | Best Contemporary Hair Styling in Feature Length Motion Picture | Suzy Mazzarese-Allison | Nominated | |
2015 YouReviewers Movie Awards | Breakthrough Actor | Jaeden Lieberher | Nominated |
William James Murray is an American actor and comedian, known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas.
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. After her family moved to Australia, she made her film debut there in the drama For Love Alone (1986). She appeared in three television series, Hey Dad..! (1990), Brides of Christ (1991), and Home and Away (1991), and the film Flirting (1991). Ten years later, Watts moved to the United States, where she initially struggled as an actress. She took roles in small-scale films until she starred in her breakthrough role as an aspiring actress in David Lynch's psychological thriller Mulholland Drive in 2001.
Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than some other areas in Los Angeles.
Melissa Ann McCarthy is an American actress, screenwriter, and producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. McCarthy was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016, and she has been featured multiple times in annual rankings of the highest-paid actresses in the world. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her #22 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.
Barbara Lee Payton was an American film actress best known for her stormy social life and battles with alcohol abuse and drug addiction. Her life has been the subject of several books, including her autobiography I Am Not Ashamed (1963). Also, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye: The Barbara Payton Story (2007) by John O'Dowd, L.A. Despair: A Landscape of Crimes and Bad Times (2005) by John Gilmore and B Movie: A Play in Two Acts (2014) by Michael B. Druxman. She married five times.
Christopher O'Dowd is an Irish actor and comedian. He received wide attention as Roy Trenneman, one of the lead characters in the Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd, which ran for four series between 2006 and 2010. He has also starred in several films, including Gulliver's Travels (2010), Bridesmaids, Friends with Kids, Cuban Fury (2014), Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) and The Cloverfield Paradox (2018). He created and starred in the Sky 1 television series Moone Boy, which aired between 2012 and 2015 and brought him Irish Film and Television Award nominations in acting, writing and directing.
This Is 40 is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. A "sort-of sequel" to Apatow's 2007 film Knocked Up, the plot centers on married couple Pete (Rudd) and Debbie (Mann), whose stressful relationship is compounded by each turning 40. John Lithgow, Megan Fox, and Albert Brooks appear in supporting roles.
Identity Thief is a 2013 American road comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, written by Craig Mazin from a story by Mazin and Jerry Eeten, and starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy. The film tells the fictional story of Sandy Patterson, a man whose identity is stolen by a female con artist. After the police told him that it will take up to a year to solve the case, Sandy embarks on a cross-country road trip to find her and clear his name.
Tammy is a 2014 American road comedy film directed and co-written by Ben Falcone and produced, co-written by, and starring Melissa McCarthy as the title character. The film also stars Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney, Gary Cole, Mark Duplass, Nat Faxon, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, with Dan Aykroyd, and Kathy Bates. The film tells the story of a woman named Tammy who hits the road with her profane, alcoholic grandmother after finding out her husband is cheating. Tammy was released in theaters on July 2, 2014.
Kimberly Pita Quinn is an American actress, writer and film producer. She made her film debut playing a leading role and co-writing in the 1999 independent drama film Winding Roads. Quinn later produced and played supporting roles in a number of films, include St. Vincent (2014), Hidden Figures (2016), and The Starling (2020). She is married to director Theodore Melfi, together they own production company Goldenlight Films.
Spy is a 2015 American spy action comedy film written and directed by Paul Feig. It stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, and Jude Law, with Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Serafinowicz, Morena Baccarin, Nargis Fakhri, and Allison Janney appearing in supporting roles. The film follows unorthodox secret agent Susan Cooper (McCarthy) as she tries to trace a stolen portable nuclear device.
Olive Kitteridge is an American television miniseries based on Elizabeth Strout's 2008 novel Olive Kitteridge. Set in Maine, the HBO miniseries features Frances McDormand as the title character, Richard Jenkins as Olive's loving husband Henry Kitteridge, Zoe Kazan as Denise Thibodeau, and Bill Murray as Jack Kennison. The show is divided into four parts, each depicting a certain point of time in the novel.
Jaeden Martell is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, with roles in the comedy drama St. Vincent (2014) and science fiction film Midnight Special (2016). His performance in St. Vincent earned him a nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. After playing the title character in the drama The Book of Henry (2017), Martell's breakthrough came with his portrayal of Bill Denbrough in the supernatural horror films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019). This led to further leading roles in horror films, such as The Lodge (2019) and Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022).
Jacob Tremblay is a Canadian actor. He became known for his role as a child born in captivity in Room (2015), for which he won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer and became the youngest nominee for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller, with a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty based on the 2008 confessional memoir of the same name by Lee Israel. Melissa McCarthy stars as Israel, and the story follows her attempts to revitalize her failing writing career by forging letters from deceased authors and playwrights. The film also features Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Jane Curtin, Anna Deavere Smith, Stephen Spinella, and Ben Falcone in supporting roles. Israel took the title from an apologetic line in a letter in which she posed as Dorothy Parker.
Life of the Party is a 2018 American comedy film directed by Ben Falcone and written by Falcone and Melissa McCarthy. The film, starring McCarthy and Molly Gordon, follows a newly divorced mother who returns to college to complete her degree, and ends up bonding with her daughter's friends.
Margaret Betts is an American filmmaker. Her debut feature Novitiate was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and received a Jury Award for her direction.
The Starling is a 2021 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Matt Harris. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Timothy Olyphant, Kim Quinn, Skyler Gisondo, Loretta Devine, Ravi Kapoor, Daveed Diggs, Rosalind Chao, Laura Harrier, and Kevin Kline.
Nine Perfect Strangers is an American drama television series based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty. Created by David E. Kelley who also developed the series alongside John-Henry Butterworth, the series premiered on August 18, 2021, on Hulu.
Anatomy of a Scandal is an American thriller drama television miniseries developed by David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson, based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan. The series consists of six episodes, and premiered on Netflix on April 15, 2022.