St. Vincent (2014)
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A melancholic Vietnam War veteran forms an unlikely bond with a bullied boy after a minor car accident.
The story
Vincent MacKenna is a retired, melancholic Vietnam War veteran living in Sheepshead Bay who struggles with alcoholism and a drinking problem. His wife, Sandy, suffers from Alzheimer's and no longer recognizes him. After his car is damaged by a neighbor's moving van, Vincent meets Maggie Bronstein and her intelligent but bullied son, Oliver. When Oliver's belongings are stolen at school, Vincent offers to 'babysit' the boy for a fee. Despite his rough exterior, Vincent begins to take Oliver under his wing, teaching him how to defend himself against bullies while navigating his own personal hardships.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Vincent MacKenna is a retired, melancholic Vietnam War veteran living in Sheepshead Bay who struggles with alcoholism and a drinking problem. His wife, Sandy, suffers from Alzheimer's and no longer recognizes him. After his car is damaged by a neighbor's moving van, Vincent meets Maggie Bronstein and her intelligent but bullied son, Oliver. When Oliver's belongings are stolen at school, Vincent offers to 'babysit' the boy for a fee. Despite his rough exterior, Vincent begins to take Oliver under his wing, teaching him how to defend himself against bullies. After winning a high-odds bet on the horses, Vincent gambles the winnings away, hoping for a big win to pay off his debts. He is eventually confronted by loan sharks who attempt to take Sandy's jewelry, leading to Vincent collapsing and being hospitalized with a stroke. While Vincent recovers, he learns that Sandy has died. Maggie, now forced to share joint custody of Oliver due to photos of Vincent taking the boy to inappropriate places, forbids Vincent from seeing him. However, for a school project, Oliver nominates Vincent as "St. Vincent of Sheepshead Bay," publicly declaring him a saint for his dedication and sacrifice. The film concludes with Daka giving birth to a baby girl, and the group—including Maggie, Oliver, and Robert—gathering at Vincent's house to eat together as a surrogate family.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Theodore Melfi
- Writers
- Theodore Melfi · writer
- Cast and characters
- Bill Murray · Vincent MacKenna; Jaeden Martell · Oliver Bronstein; Melissa McCarthy · Maggie Bronstein; Naomi Watts · Daka Parimova; Chris O'Dowd · Brother Geraghty; Terrence Howard · Zucko; Lenny Venito · Coach Mitchell; Nate Corddry · Terry
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- Grief; Father-son relationships; Alcoholism; Veterans; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Sentimental; Funny
- Premise and plot tags
- Comedy-Drama; Gambling; Father-son relationships; Grief; Veterans; Alcoholism
- Source material / true-story basis
- The screenplay, originally titled St. Vincent de Van Nuys, was written in 2011 by Theodore Melfi.
- Reception
- The film was a moderate commercial success, grossing $54.8 million against its $13.5 million budget, and received positive reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 77% · review count: 193; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 40
- Awards and nominations
- People's Choice Award · second runner-up · 2014 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The screenplay was included on the Hollywood Black List of 2014.; Jack Nicholson was rumored to star in the film.; The film was released on Netflix in France on October 24, 2014.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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