by Father Robert Lauder

On Friday, Oct. 24, a new film, “St. Vincent,” will open in this country. I suspect that it will be a big hit. In fact, its star, Bill Murray, may even be nominated for an Academy Award.

To be completely honest, I think that I should confess right at the start that I was not a disinterested observer when I saw “St. Vincent” a few months ago at a special screening. The film’s author/director, Ted Melfi, is a friend of mine.

Homework Inspires Art

I met Melfi before the filming of “St. Vincent” had begun. He told me that what moved him to write the screenplay was a homework assignment his daughter had received in a Catholic school.

One day, she came home from school and said, “Dad, we received a special assignment today in school. I have to write an essay about a saint from many years ago and an essay about a contemporary saint. For the contemporary saint, I am going to write about you.”

Melfi thought this was a great idea for a story that could be made into a film. “St. Vincent” is the finished product. I am amazed at what spurs artistic creativity.

After he wrote the screenplay, Melfi tried to contact Bill Murray. Apparently, Murray does not have an agent. Melfi told me that he called Murray’s phone about 25 times.

One day, Melfi’s phone rang and the voice on the line said, “This is Bill Murray.”

Melfi said what I would have said, “Is this really Bill Murray or is this one of my friends playing a joke?”

The voice on the other end said, “No, I really am Bill Murray and I am interested in doing your film.” I suspect that once Murray signed on, the project took off.

When the film was being shot in Brooklyn and Queens, Melfi invited me to come and watch. Thinking that this might be fun and wanting to give Melfi as much support as I could, I went to a school in Sunnyside to watch a scene being shot. As I entered the school, I stepped into an auditorium in which there were about 150 people. I was stunned because I thought I was the only one invited to watch the filming.

As I started up the aisle of the auditorium, I saw a priest in the third row. I whispered to him, “Father, can you tell me what’s going on here?” He replied, “I haven’t the slightest idea.” Later I realized that the person was not a priest. He was an actor dressed as a priest for the scene which was supposed to be taking place in a Catholic school auditorium.

Incidentally, when I met Murray, I told him, “I am not an actor. I am the real thing.”

For almost two hours, I watched a scene being shot that in the film takes up about two minutes of time. I heard that three hours had been spent on the scene that morning.

Sitting in the auditorium, I spotted a young lady dressed rather provocatively. I wondered why anyone would dress that way coming to watch a film being made. Eventually, I discovered that the young lady did not come to watch a film being made. She was Murray’s co-star, Naomi Watts, who plays a prostitute in the film.

About 10 years ago, I stopped going to see American film comedies. Prior to boycotting comedies, I was frequently told by friends about films that they thought were hilarious. They would urge me to see these comedies. When I took their advice, I wondered if I had lost my sense of humor. I did not laugh once while viewing these films and found that much of the so-called humor was vulgar, bathroom humor.

A Film with ‘Heart’

I found “St. Vincent” to be very funny. But more importantly, I found the film had what I can only call “heart,” something like the film comedies of the great American director Frank Capra. In the film, Chris O’Dowd plays a religious brother teaching in a Catholic school. He is the kind of teacher each of us would like to have.

It must not be easy to make a film that is humorous and yet has substance. “St. Vincent” is such a film.

After the screening, a film critic said to me that the people in the film were the type of people Pope Francis speaks about when he describes the Church as a hospital. Almost all the people in the film are wounded, but the treatment of these characters is not condescending. Their dignity and value shine throughout the film. I have the impression that Melfi loves these people. We should too.

My friend Ted Melfi can be proud of “St. Vincent.”[hr]Editor’s Note: Next week, The Tablet will have an article about the film, “St. Vincent,” including an interview with author/director Ted Melfi. “St. Vincent will be released in select theatres Oct. 10 and goes nationwide Oct. 24.[hr]Father Robert Lauder, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn and philosophy professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica, writes a weekly column for the Catholic Press.