Jack and I loved this (mostly) comedy with Bill Murray as cantankerous Vin who finds redemption babysitting a middle schooler next door to his Brooklyn home. Deserved Oscar buzz for Murray is but one reason you should see this. Melissa McCarthy is terrific playing it straight as the boy's mother, Naomi Watts is hilarious as the pregnant Russian hooker, and now-11-year-old Jaeden Lieberher is adorable as the boy. Murray (last blogged for a small part in The Grand Budapest Hotel, referenced with a link in The Monuments Men) has been showing us for years he's more than a slapstick comedian, and his range in this is way broader than in Lost in Translation (2003) for which he was Oscar nominated. Jack and I agree that this is one of McCarthy's (last in the mediocre Tammy) best roles--we love her slapstick out-of-control characters, but this one is solid. Watts (most recently in The Impossible) almost never does comedy but she's up to the task--there's a sight gag at her place of business that made us laugh out loud. And Chris O'Dowd (most recently in Calvary) has some wonderful scenes (and lines) as a priest/teacher.
Theodore Melfi (commercials, music videos, and one earlier feature unknown to me) directs to his own sparkling script, which does NOT include the line, "Get off my lawn!" Theodore Shapiro (last scored The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) gives us a jaunty soundtrack which can be sampled on soundcloud, but you're more likely to remember the 60s hits such as Somebody to Love, One Toke Over the Line, and Shelter from the Storm (videos available here).
At the age of 63, Jack and I often refer to ourselves as geezers, but we're kind of joking. Rolling Stone referred to Murray's character as an "old coot." The character is 68 (maybe coot-adjacent), Murray is 64. The magazine also adds that Murray's singing along to the Dylan tune over the end credits is worth "double the price of admission," and we concur. 75% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes may be "certified Fresh" but it's a bit tepid--82% from audiences is getting there--for this wonderful movie. See it!
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