BILL MURRAY IN ST. VINCENT

2014 rating: *1/2

The most intriguing and humorous aspect of any cinematic “unlikely friendship" is the amount of time taken for two polar opposites to warm up to each other. The longer things are cold, the funnier. But in ST. VINCENT, there are very few problems in that regard.

That's not to say the boozing and gambling war vet, Vincent, doesn't have his share of obstacles. In dept with the bank, a bookie and a prostitute, he's given the task of “babysitting” a young kid who lives next door.

Enter Jaeden Lieberher’s Oliver, a brainy newcomer at a politically-correct Catholic school. Laidback and confident, the fact he’s bullied by classmates and abandoned by his father is quickly cured by time spent with Vincent, learning self defense and visiting a bar and a racetrack. 

With a dash of forced 11th hour melodrama and a feel-good soundtrack that should have its own doctor's prescription, the movie tries for heart but lacks a funnybone. And the two main characters get along so splendidly, Bill Murray's otherwise edgy persona is completely wasted. In a nutshell, ST. VINCENT is an off-road vehicle cruising in the carpool lane.