St. Vincent

What happens in St. Vincent isn’t as critical as to whom it happens. In the case of this comedy, that’s an important distinction.

The film contains familiar themes of redemption and precocious children melting the grumpiness of irascible adults, with some shameless attempts to yank at the heartstrings along the way.

However, it’s smart enough to take a character-driven approach that makes such plot mechanics take a back seat. And it boasts a terrific performance by Bill Murray, playing a role to which he’s ideally suited.

Murray plays Vincent, a broken man who lives alone in a rundown Brooklyn house, where he’s broke and blaming the world around him. His latest nuisance comes when a nurse (Melissa McCarthy) and her precocious preteen son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), move in next door.

While spreading his usual disdain, Vincent manages to seize an opportunity when the overworked mother needs a caretaker for Oliver after school. Vincent demands compensation for his time, but soon has the diminutive youngster fighting back against bullies at the local Catholic school in between trips to the strip club and the horse track.

Oliver soon learns that beneath Vincent’s sarcasm there are remnants of a shattered personal life that reveal the likely cause of his obstinance. At any rate, their bond proves mutually beneficial, and not just because Vincent is on the clock.

St. Vincent is anchored by a fascinating character and an amusing portrayal by Murray, who finds sympathy in a selfish loser who’s always trying to cheat the system. Lieberher is an expressive newcomer whose role feels less authentic.

Among the supporting cast, Chris O’Dowd steals a few scenes as Oliver’s eccentric teacher, but Naomi Watts is squandered as a Russian prostitute who is Vincent’s primary companion (outside of a furry cat), and so is Terrence Howard as a bookie trying to collect a debt.

The transformational twists in the script by director Theodore Melfi aren’t difficult to figure out. Yet there are some big laughs, and while the climax yields feelings of mild optimism for all involved, the catharsis isn’t as heavy-handed or manipulative as it might have been. It might even prompt Vincent himself to crack a smile amid his perpetual scowl.

Rated R, 103 minutes.