Tonight, Bill Murray’s “St. Vincent” premieres at the Ziegfeld Theater. He will more than likely receive an Oscar nomination for his work, and he could actually win. My money is on him.
Murray was overcome by the reaction to the film and his performance last month at the Toronto Film Festival. At the afterparty we discussed other times he’d been touted for awards, only to to be rejected. (He’s been nominated for “Lost in Translation,” something that was lost in the translation of any earlier item. He should have been nominated for “Tootsie” and “Rushmore.”)
We talked about his standout performance in Jim Jarmusch’s underrated “Broken Flowers.” Murray told me: “I was going to quit the business after that. I didn’t think I could do any better.”
In the last couple of years, Murray took another shot at awards with “Hyde Park on Hudson” playing Franklin Roosevelt. The intention was good but in the end it fell flat. His new character, Vincent, is a natural fit and shows Murray off to his best advantage. I’ll give you a fuller report later from the premiere.
But mark my words: this is Bill Murray’s year. He’d be up against Steve Carell, Al Pacino, Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne. Formidable competition.
