Formulaic in the best sense. Vincent (Bill Murray) is a grumpy, lonely old guy with alcohol, gambling and a host of other vices. When the new neighbor kid (Oliver) moves in, he is naive, scrawny and wise beyond his years. The two are forced together and each grows into a better person because of the relationship. If you were to present this treatment to any movie exec, they would laugh in your face. Butt his film got made, and it works primarily because of Murray. He is gruff, jaded and worn while at the same time showing an emotional depth necessary to relate to the world. He somehow mixes the personalities he plays in What about Bob and Lost in Translation, and it works. As a side note, Chris O'Dowd also throws in a nice comic sequence as Brother Geraghty, Oliver's school teacher with a bit of a cynical side.
4 stars (out of 5)
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