St. Vincent (2014)

I love Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy and Naomi Watts so passing St. Vincent was not an option for me, even more so if you consider the film got a Globe nomination for Best Comedy/Musical. Unfortunately, my cinema didn't show it, I missed it and it took me more than four years to catch up.

The story follows Vincent (Bill Murray), an old, grumpy and alcoholic Vietnam veteran who lives alone and gambles regularly and whose only friend is a Russian sex worker named Daka (Naomi Watts). When Maggie Bronstein (Melissa McCarty), a med-tech divorcée, moves to the next-door house with her eleven-year-old son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), Vicent offers to babysit him for money and he soon turns out to be exactly the mentor Oliver needs as the kid has to deal with his parents' divorce and the new school.

St. Vincent's story is far from being original and follows every single cliché of the genre where you have a grumpy man being softened by a kid in need of a father figure. It's predictable and doesn't have a surprising twist at the end. However, despite these flaws, the story is engaging and interesting to follow, but most of all, it's one of those feel-good stories with a happy ending you are longing for and that successfully manage to put a huge smile on your face as the final credits roll in.

The characters too are stereotypes, from the alcoholic, rude old man who gambles with money that is not his and with no apparent redeeming quality, to the kid who is the walking stereotype of Catholic School life, to the single mother is going through a divorce because her husband cheated on her. But just like with the story, you are willing to overlook these flaws because they also are likeable, sympathetic and they feel real.

The Weinstein Company

And the credits for it entirely go to the cast. Bill Murray is a delight to watch and gives a funny and charming performance in the role of Vincent as he does great with his character's eccentricities while also showing his humanity and big heart. Naomi Watts is quite a show stealer in the role of Daka, the lady of the night, as Vincent calls her; she really fleshes out the character and her Russian accent is pretty good. Melissa McCarty showcases her dramatic talents in the role of the single mother. Chris O'Dowd shines as Brother Geraghty, a teacher in Catholic school, and brings some enjoyable Catholic humour in the film. It's Jaeden Lieberher, however, that completely steals the scene. The young actor is so likeable and sweet it's a joy to watch, and his chemistry with Murray is incredible.

Ultimately, St. Vincent isn't anything new but it's still a touching, funny, sweet and heartwarming feel-good movie with a charming cast.

Eastern Promises (2007)

A few weeks back, the theme for Thursday Movie Picks —a series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves— was gangsters and David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises was one of the most popular titles. Since I like Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen (and his full-frontal nudity), I checked it out.

The film revolves around the London Russian mafia and centres around the death of Tatiana (Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse), a fourteen-year-old girl who died in childbirth. Midwife Anna (Naomi Watts) finds her diary and decides to find the girl's family so that the newborn can live with them. She asks her Russian uncle (Jerzy Skolimowski) to translate the diary for her; in the meantime, she follows the trail of a business card found in the diary, and she winds up at a Russian restaurant owned by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) who promises to help her to translate the diary from Russian to English. Little does she knows Semyon is the mob's leader and his family is involved in Tatiana's death. 

It's a very thin, simple and predictable plot so much so that you can predict what is going to happen next for most of the film's running time. The twists aren't twists as we are told about them when convenient instead of being shown them. The ending, easily the worst part of it, just doesn't feel right with the rest of the story and was a huge let down. 

The plot, however, isn't that important in Eastern Promises as Cronenberg is far more interested in the characters than he is in telling a memorable story, and he does a wonderful job at creating believable characters the viewers care about —whether they are good or evil, likeable or not, they are living and breathing beings and as such we connect with them. Naomi Watts's Anna is too naive and clichéd though. 

By far the most compelling aspect of the film is the acting. Viggo Mortensen gives one of his best performances in the role of Nikolai Luzhin, a very mysterious, intelligent and ambitious man who serves both as a driver and a cleaner for Semyon. He is so intense and menacing and yet he plays the character in a way that you are attracted to him. Vincent Cassel, although his accent did not convince me at all, is also terrific as Kirill, the alcoholic and sexually repressed son of Semyon who is constantly trying to live up to his father's criminal expectations. Armin Mueller-Stahl is sublime as Semyon as he manages to deliver the good and the evil man through his eyes, both at the same time. At last, Naomi Watts gives an underrated performance as Anna, as she manages to be vulnerable and tenacious at the same time. 

Focus Features

Eastern Promises is also visually interesting as the cinematography provides an authentic atmosphere, and so does the production design, and the editing is excellent. There also are some scenes, very violent and filled with gore, that definitely aren't for everyone but add to the film's authenticity.

Despite this, the film didn't quite work for me. I guess it was the lack of tension throughout the film or of a compelling story, but I just found it a dull. I'm not sure I would have kept watching if it wasn't for the excellent cast.