A young boy whose parents just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic, war veteran who lives next door.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.4/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.39/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Metacritic: 64
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Theodore Melfi
Production
Chernin Entertainment, The Weinstein Company, Crescendo Productions, Goldenlight Films
Cast
Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Jaeden Martell, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, Terrence Howard, Scott Adsit, Lenny Venito, Nate Corddry, Dario Barosso, Kimberly Quinn, Donna Mitchell, Ann Dowd, Reg E. Cathey, Deirdre O'Connell, Ray Iannicelli, Greta Lee, Maria Elena Ramirez, Ron McLarty, Niles Fitch
Where to watch
Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A familiar but effective feel-good dramedy built around Bill Murray’s gruff charm and a sincere mentor-kid bond. It leans heavily on sentiment and predictable beats, but the performances and emotional payoff make it work for viewers who like warm, easygoing crowd-pleasers.
Best for
fans of bittersweet buddy comedies
viewers who enjoy grumpy-old-man redemption stories
people looking for a sentimental but funny family dramedy
audiences who like Bill Murray’s dry, deadpan persona
Skip if
you dislike obvious sentimentality
you want something surprising or formally ambitious
you’re allergic to predictable feel-good storytelling
you prefer comedy without emotional manipulation
Overview
St. Vincent is the kind of movie that knows exactly what it is: a polished, crowd-friendly dramedy about a damaged man reluctantly becoming a better one. Theodore Melfi keeps the story moving with easy jokes, soft edges, and a steady stream of emotional cues, and the film rarely pretends to be more complicated than that.
Worth noting
What lifts it above routine is Bill Murray, who turns the title character into a mix of cranky, funny, and unexpectedly tender. The movie also benefits from the child-adult dynamic, which gives the familiar setup some genuine warmth, even when the plotting is obvious from a mile away.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a sincere movie that wants to make you laugh and then quietly get you in the last act, it does the job. If you need sharper writing, deeper character work, or less sugar, this will probably feel too neat and too familiar.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Thomas McCallum (3.5★) · 285 likes
Spoiler alert, Bill Murray has a stroke in this completely fictional movie and I nearly cried.
When Bill Murray dies I'm not leaving my bed for a month.
SilentDawn (3★) · 190 likes
Sentimentalism, whether in large or small doses, isn't my type of thing. St. Vincent is definitely sentimental, and it's cliche, predictable, and corny at every possible beat, but the heart and the wisdom of this tale is earnest. Even with the sappiness, the film weaves a story that general audiences will eat up, and what can I say against that? There's much worse they could be viewing this weekend.
Bill Murray steals the show, and he's the only reason why… more
Alli (4★) · 142 likes
Vincent: You never seen Abbott and Costello? Oliver: No, sir. Are they old? Vincent: No. They're dead. That's the oldest you can be.
A heartwarming and funny film about a crotchety older man and the boy that he babysits, St. Vincent is odd and endearing in all the right ways. I love this movie and watch it every few years (just to keep it fresh). Love Bill Murray's dry Bill Murrayness, Melissa McCarthy's straight-man, and I want to squeeze Jaeden Martell’s Oliver. This movie makes me happy and I cry every time. (read more here)
Esteban Gonzalez (3.5★) · 106 likes
“I honestly don’t remember.”
If you happen to look at the poster for St. Vincent you might go into it expecting a full blown comedy, but you would be surprised because this film takes a much more dramatic and sentimental approach. There are several funny scenes of course because Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy are involved, but it’s also touching and emotional. There are many comparisons in tone with Jack Nicholson’s As Good As it Gets because the lead character… more
shookone (1.5★) · 90 likes
Bill Murray in his parade role as grumpy cat.
Naomi Watts in her parade role as pregnant Russian stripper.
Hollywood in his parade discipline of the proper feel good schnoozlefest.
2013 · Drama, Adventure · 1h 55m · R · Curator 8.5/10 (234.6K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
If you want the dry humor and weathered humanity of an older man-centered road dramedy.