‘St. Vincent’ Looks Pretty Good, Mostly Because Every Movie with Bill Murray Looks Pretty Good

You tell me St. Vincent is about a crusty old misanthrope who befriends a wide-eyed kid whose parents just got divorced, I shrug and say, "meh." But tell me St. Vincent stars Bill Murray as said crusty old misanthrope and suddenly, just like that, I'm interested.

Such is the power of Bill Murray. What would otherwise sound like a trite, plodding "comedy" about coming of age or something suddenly sounds like a movie I'd really enjoy.

Of course, Bill Murray isn't the only high-calibre actor in St. Vincent. It also stars Melissa McCarthy (for once playing the straight person) as the wide-eyed kid's mother, Naomi Watts as the misanthrope's Eastern European stripper girlfriend, and Chris O'Dowd as the wide-eyed kid's Catholic priest teacher. Then there's newcomer Jaeden Lieberher, who plays the wide-eyed kid and looks like a revelation, as a fancy movie critic might say.

Still, like a good rug that really ties the room together, it's Bill Murray who really ties the cast of St. Vincent together. So make a note of it in your calendar—the film hits theaters October 26, 2014.