God's Pocket (2014) User Reviews

the negative reviewers here wouldn't know a good movie if it hit them in the head

[bcheng93 · 7/10 · 5 October 2014]

very very watchable movie probably best described as a black comedy drama which happens to be Hoffmans last role in a movie.

boy! let me start off by saying that i'm a Chinese American that grew up in a middle class neighborhood just like this...an Italian neighborhood pre-dominantly. underneath this middle class surface there was so much dirt around that it wasn't funny. everybody knew somebody that was crooked, backstabbing, lying, cheating and doing shady things was the norm.

i remembered when i was a young teen...one day a African American boy walked his Italian girlfriend home to her neighborhood and the neighborhood boys threw him off the top of a building and killed him. these motherf**kers thought they were invincible and doing wrong was doing right.

this movie got it just right, the neighborhood and the grit and grime. the only good guy was the construction company owner...everybody else was a scumbag including and especially the young man who died at the construction yard at the start of the movie. that's the funny thing about life in my neighborhood...you know inside that your child is a scum*g, but he's still a saint in the parents eyes...LOL!

all i'm saying is that i grew up in a neighborhood like this and the movie hits home. these motherf**kers were a biased and racist bunch of bullies. i mean how hard is it for a mob to beat up one man? then they feel good about it.

anybody that lived in a neighborhood like this would get what the movie is about. a totally depressing movie brought to life by a great ensemble cast. it didn't hurt that there were some deliciously funny black and comedic moments in it.

all in all...i totally recommend this movie, i mean even if you don't like the subject matter, there were some great actors and actresses in it, close or at the top of their game.

Enjoyed the film

[mark51153 · 7/10 · 18 May 2014]

I enjoyed this film. It has excellent acting and character development. And there's never a dull moment. Sometimes seeing a dark, depressing, yet sprinkled with humor film uplifts the spirits. Not everyone will be able to appreciate what this film tries to do in its 1970s portrayal of blue collar life. It will be far too creative for many. I saw this film right after A rated Locke and enjoyed this film much more. This film gets bad reviews wherever I look. The popular film types of today get the good reviews, films that don't fit the molds get the bad reviews. It's not a superhero movie or a Disney film. If you want something different that works the mind, see this film.

Offbeat and atmospheric.

[chrisgp-889-15634 · 7/10 · 18 August 2014]

John Slattery's feature film debut is a competent if small-scale effort. Faithfully adapted from the 1983 novel of the same name, it is an enjoyable snapshot into a dark lower Philadelphia Neighbourhood.

What is obvious is the affection for the source material. The film differs little from Pete Dexter's book, and is better for it. The sometimes lethargic pace is livened by some genuine surprises, and there is always that all important sense of atmosphere.

If there was ever an actor who knew not how to overact, it was Philip Seymour Hoffman. In his penultimate appearance, he and Christina Hendricks both deliver an underplayed performance as the central couple, allowing the rest of the ensemble the more colourful scenes.

It is not without it's faults. The story is told over a period of three days, and it is perhaps for that reason that it sometimes feels episodic. The whole film plays like one of Slattery's self- directed episodes of Mad Men. The ending does not escape the clichés typical of its genre. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining watch, a promising debut, and another sad reminder of why Philip Seymour Hoffman will be missed.

Slattery's People

[lor_ · 15 May 2014]

Actor turned director John Slattery brings his trademark black humor and cynicism from his MAD MEN role (and effective helming of occasional episodes) to the big screen with the successfully offbeat GOD'S POCKET, a faithful adaptation of Pete Dexter's 1983 novel about the Lower Depths of a Philly neighborhood. Clearly not for all tastes, the film appealed to my love of against the grain, anti-trendy cinema (more about that later).

The late Philip Seymour Hoffman clearly admired this material too, taking on a producer credit, as did the film's cinematographer. His role is reminiscent of his work in Sidney Lumet's final movie BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD, portraying a ne'er-do-well criminal trying to survive in a hostile environment. It's not a showy role, and Hoffman consistently underplays while Slattery gives many supporting players the flashy, show-stopping scenes.

Slattery shows great confidence in never explicitly referring to the film's time frame ('80s) -there are no superimposed Time Cards, no narration, just the period clothing, cars and old rotary telephones to indicate we're watching a period piece. Hoffman is cast as an outsider in the Philadelphia slum cynically known as God's Pocket, married to the glamorous Christina Hendricks (a Slattery good luck charm from his lengthy stint opposite her on MAD MEN), living with her nutty and self- destructive son (flamboyant and talented young actor Caleb Landry Jones).

Hoffman's partner in crime is skillfully etched by John Turturro, who like Hoffman is a gambling addict. They are more in danger from The Mob than the police due to their inevitable debts arising from playing the ponies, and Turturro's pipe dreams of owning a race horse some day.

The ensuing comedy of errors gives Slattery the opportunity to distract and surprise the viewer with unexpected turns of events and shocks which I won't spoil here. Character actress Joyce Van Patten, whom I have admired since first being impressed by her '60s TV appearances and choice role over 40 years back in the forgotten 20th Century Fox youth picture MAKING IT, highlights the movie's most memorable scene as Turturro's sister running a flower shop and dealing with a couple of armed and dangerous Mob goons.

Themes of the story, personal to author Dexter and drawn from his stint as a reporter in Philly, are brought out by the nearly washed-up columnist effortlessly played by Richard Jenkins. His adulterous romance with Hendricks' character is unbelievable, but Hendricks (still awaiting the breakthrough movie role she deserves a la Sophia Loren's career-making opportunity in TWO WOMEN) does lend her ambiguity and nuance known to her legion of fans from MAD MEN's Joan to almost make it work.

Dealing with the venal undertaker Eddie Marsan (a standout here on loan from Mike Leigh's stock company), Hoffman descends into strange and uncomfortable black comedy dealing with the "body removal" antics involving his stepson, treated by Slattery using a flashback structure that may or may not have been the best choice for storytelling. Various violent outbursts lead to a coda which almost parodies happy endings.

Besides the Hitchcockian morbid black humor involving the stepson's corpse, the climactic moment of mob violence (not Mob but lowercase mob) in which the insular denizens of God's Pocket unite against outsiders recalls the Master of Suspense's power to deliver the coup de grace, notably in LIFEBOAT.

Critics generally dismissing GOD'S POCKET are clearly entitled to their opinions, but miss the point. Like the great B movies of the '40s and '50s (including films noirs), many of which have lived on to entertain future generations of movie buffs who have little time or patience for the big-budget blockbusters (and Oscar-bait) of that era, Slattery has crafted a character-driven, idiosyncratic entertainment that is out of step with current trends.

It is easy to criticize and lampoon the mainstream sellouts of the Michael Bay persuasion, but as a long-time film fanatic and former professional critic I am more militantly opposed to the recent wave of all-flash/no-substance "visionaries" (I truly hate that trailer cliché) dominant today. Bloated junk like THE WOLF OF WALL STREET = big box office and mindless raves/Oscar noms, but is embarrassing and nearly unwatchable. How can a film historian like Scorsese ignore the famous warnings of Frank Capra's autobiography (where he explained why he retired from directing after suffering at the hands of overly powerful actors in charge like Glenn Ford and Frank Sinatra) and end up grinding out padded and tiresome Leonardo DiCaprio vehicles? Could it be the almighty dollar, or does the maestro merely fancy himself as an American Visconti?

At any rate, I hope Slattery does not go this route (Scorsese's decline from gritty, effective early films to elephantine latter-day projects repeats the great Otto Preminger's similar career missteps), and instead maintains his personal approach. The man's talented and perfectly capable of making an Eastwood-esque transition from actor to successful director.

Grim and grungy swansong from Hoffman

[davidgee · 7/10 · 14 August 2014]

Philip Seymour Hoffman's stepson's dead body is used, not in the best possible taste, as a comic prop, and Eddy Marsan does a funny turn as the undertaker who won't extend Mickey any credit. Turturro's wife runs a flower-shop and proves to be handy with a hand-gun. The comedy is mixed with rough sex scenes and more than one savage beating. As in Nicolas Cage's JOE, GOD'S POCKET delivers visceral violence in a beautifully shot movie with fine performances from its ensemble cast.

Despite the moments of comedy and the pleasingly upbeat coda, the overwhelming mood is grimness and grunge. But this is how people live in today's city slums (1980s Phildelphia looks pretty much the same in 2014), scratching a living, fighting off creditors, killing each other.

The reason to watch is the acting. It's pretty good but you have to be in the mood for it otherwise it will be a struggle.

[cosmo_tiger · 6/10 · 7 September 2014]

"Until recently you only had to die once in this city, even if you came from God's Pocket." Mickey Scarpato (Hoffman) is the step-father to a kid that no one in the city really likes. The son gets killed at work one day but no one will tell the truth about what happened. This doesn't bother Mickey and he is ready to bury him right away but his wife and the boys mother demands the truth. Mickey does what he can to find out what happened but between finding out the truth, trying to make his wife happy and finding a way to pay for the funeral things begin to pile on top of him. When his wife turns to news reporter Richard Shellburn (Jenkins) for additional help things really begin to spiral out of control. This is a tough movie to review. I did think the movie was good and tense but did move very slow and was hard to stay focused on. The acting was great and this was very realistic but again though the pacing made it hard to stay engrossed in. Hoffman did a great job of playing someone who seemed lost and under an immense amount of stress and Jenkins was great as a sleazy reporter. The number one reason to watch this is for the acting. The movie itself, again, is pretty good but it is one you have to be in the mood for otherwise it will be a struggle to make it through. Overall, a movie that is worth seeing if you are in the mind set for it. It's too bad that Hoffman died because he is great in roles like this. I give it a B-.

An offbeat and dark drama that shows life is tough!

[blanbrn · 7/10 · 29 May 2014]

"God's Pocket" is an offbeat independent film that's dark and it shows that for many people and in many places life is tough and complex never being what it seems or is meant to be. The now late great Philip Seymour Hoffman is Mickey a tough wise guy on the mean streets of Philadelphia who earns his living with loans and collecting debts. His wife Jeanie(Christina Hendricks)is wise in top size even though she has a wandering eye! To make matters more complex Mickey's stepson Leon is killed one day at work they say an apparent accident that went wrong!? Then to make matters worse this film shows it's dark humor as to bury Leon has became a problem! Overall this film is dark, different and offbeat proving that life is tough and hard and tragic and it shows that many streets and towns are like "God's Pocket" as many people find themselves trapped in a closed up pocket.

Great characters in a gloomy mood

[Seraphion · 6/10 · 29 August 2014]

The movie tells the story of Mickey, a butcher in God's Pocket. He's married to Jeanie, Leon's mother. They are the typical God's Pocket inhabitants, debt choked worker class who visits bars at nights. One day, the racist Leon gets killed on his construction job. Mickey then tries to earn more money to pay for the funeral, more load to his debt pressed finances. He tries gambling, ending up losing more money. On the other side of town Richard, a troubled newspaper writer, gets to write about Leon's death. He meets the lonely Jeanie, who feels that Leon's death has more to tell than what's on the news. Knowing Mickey has no money, Jack, the funeral home owner, rejects Leon's body, so Mickey stores it on the refrigerated meat truck.

He tries to sell the truck with the body in it, but an accident happens and the police confiscate it and put the body in the morgue, nearly missing Mickey. Richard gets close to Jeanie and they have sex. Mickey then gets the money and pays for the funeral but he hears the people talk about Jeanie and Richard. The next morning Mickey tells everything that happens after Jeanie reads the news about Leon's body. The news was by Richard, and besides Leon he writes about the typical God's Pocket people. But the people are offended by the description so Richard gets beaten up when he visits the local bar the night before the funeral.

The movie is another of those movies with the slowed down overall mood, despite it's quite a fast pace of story flow and the occasional intensity increase and decrease. The story's premise is a mix of trying to mix the reality of worker class people, the occasional tensions brushing with the law, and the issues in a community such as friendship, backing up one another, and also racism.

What I really like is the character building in this movie. They are so deeply done, despite the gloomy feel of the movie. We can see most characters' dominant daily activities, the crowd they interact with and their general views about issues in life. These gives the viewers enough to make a certain mental judgment of how the characters will respond to situations. This in turn arouses the viewers' curiosity of whether the characters behave as their guess or not.

The acting overall is also a great job. This is what truly helps the character building greatly. Philip Seymour Hofman did a great lead in this movie, maintaining the overall calm composure. Christina Hendricks did great in portraying the lonely and later grieving wife unsatisfied with the explanation on her son's death. Richard Jenkins also did nicely in portraying the newsman with the empty life. Even Caleb Landry Jones plays his character well enough to set in motion the side conflict that Mickey has later on.

The photography is really supporting to the overall mood. With the coloration toned a bit darker, the scenes shot mostly indoors with the contrasting sunlight at day times, The whole mood of gloomy and boring life of a worker class creeps in significant over the entire movie. This on the other hand can also make the movie feels not entertaining due to boredom it can cast at impatient viewers.

So my opinion is that this movie is really intriguing, especially on the way it plays with the expectations of the viewers. As soon as you think this movie gets bring, it comes up with a scene that tickles your curiosity even more. A 6 out of 10 score from me is an appropriate voice to represent the general consensus. A recommendation? Only for real film lovers or those with the great amount of patience.

Felt Rushed, Plot Holes

[gutenshmeis · 5/10 · 7 December 2017]

This movie could have been something special. It was well cast, the plot was quirky and clever(at times), and the characters felt organic - like they belonged in 'God's Pocket'. It was definitely entertaining, and the story engaging, but it felt a bit rushed. I think the movie could have gone on another 25 minutes or so.

There were also some serious plot holes. I won't spoil any details, but some characters' motivations made little sense, or COULD have made sense had they been given a bit more development. It all felt so unnatural at times. I can't speak for how faithful the movie is to the novel, but I don't imagine the author forcing things along that quickly unless it was a 150 page book aimed at a teenage audience...

It screamed low budget at times, with modern vehicles abundant throughout (I think it was supposed to be the 70s/80s). Some fight scenes were incredibly cheesy as well, where a punch clearly misses, but renders the victim unconscious. Granted, these weren't major parts of the plot, but it might be distracting depending on how observant you are.

5/10. Hoffman/Turturro were good as you'd expect, and it was definitely entertaining, but not something I'd recommend to a film buff.

A beautiful story about painfully real people

[alex-galinsky · 7/10 · 3 March 2021]

It's a sad world we live in. A world where such a sad and beautiful story, full of acting genius and human feeling gets a 6.1 by an ever-action-craving audience... If you love the art of cinema, please watch this one.

A small picture that seems to want to be bigger

[MOscarbradley · 5/10 · 20 December 2016]

Philip Seymour Hoffman's last film was this very strange blue collar drama set in the New York district of the title. It's closer to being a darkly surreal comedy than a drama, though the jokes seem to have been removed. It centres around the events, spread over 3 days, following the death of young lowlife Leon. He is killed by a fellow worker, an elderly black man whom Leon liked to taunt, but his death is passed off as an accident. Nothing about the picture seems 'realistic' except, perhaps, the milieu in which it is set.

It's certainly well played by a very good cast but it also feels inconsequential. It was in part written by the actor John Slattery, who also directed, from a novel by Peter Dexter and is just too off-the-wall to be dismissed. It's a small picture that seems to want to be bigger and when it was over it left a somewhat acrid taste in my mouth.

Handling

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 8 October 2014]

If you do invest yourself into the story aspect of it and only see this as one story, than you misjudge what the filmmakers intended to do (at least the way I saw it). And it's always interesting to read other peoples view on things that we see differently. This is not about a death, as it is about life. As it is about marriage, as it is about incidents and just pure luck or misfortune.

Hoffman might not be among us anymore, but even in this movie he reminds us, how great he is. Also Torturo can act, whatever Michael Bay tries to do with him. This really is about things happening and spiraling out of control (literally in quite a few cases) and the outcome of "lies". If you do dig the way the movie goes, you'll really enjoy this

Would have been better if it was not this.

[rprince-832-6294 · 7/10 · 16 December 2014]

-God's Pocket is about a horrible town where everybody is a petty criminal pretty much. One day, a murder occurs and things go from bad to worse when members of the thieving community try to figure it out! -It would have been a lot better if it were a dark comedy. Or just a regular comedy. Or anything not full of funny situations we are supposed to take seriously.

-The story itself is pretty interesting and the setting is even more-so, but the film has serious problems focusing on the story.

-The pace is kinda slow really, but the tone is pretty interesting and hopeless, which I think they were going for.

-The acting is pretty good. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars and he was really good in it! -The music is weird and doesn't fit. I like that.

-Did I mention it's not funny though? Really could have been a lot better.

-It is rated-R for some nudity and implied content. And language. I expected the language, not the rest.

-So if you like dark comedies that are not funny and have trouble staying on track, well that's probably none of you. God's Pocket is not worth watching. 6.5 because some of it did entertain me.

Watch it for Hoffman...

[xmichaelraine · 4/10 · 22 May 2014]

The great thing about "God's Pocket" is the fact that you are in the presence of phenomenal actors, performing at a high level as expected. The problem lies in the fact that it's all within a story that so muddled, messy and cliché' that you just find yourself dying for the film to end. And for a movie that has a run time of only 88 minutes to conjure this feeling, it's doing something very wrong. This film is billed as Philip Seymour Hoffman's final film, and what a shame that is. Not that he isn't wonderful to watch here as usual; but it's weakening to the heart to watch him play such a miserable character for no reason at all.

It's always challenging to review and talk about a film that you just don't care about at all. Perhaps the biggest reason I didn't care, or sympathize with any characters is because they just made one terrible decision after another. Whether it's Mickey betting all of his money for the funeral for Leon on horse races, Richard Shellburn making persistent efforts to get to the bottom of a bottle, or some other miserable soul crawling through the streets; It's just not interesting. There's no development of these characters. We're not given any influence to feel sorry for anyone. The film is also shot in a depressing sense. Heavy greenish, yellow tint to the lenses really gives the film an unattractive smoggy look.

There's no doubt that this is a stacked cast from top to bottom. A film like this is a perfect example that it takes more than one great element, to make a great film. The director is new to film directing, but has made runs directing the popular television series "Mad Men". And that explains a lot to me. Because watching this film, is like watching an entire episode of a long running series, smack dab in the middle for the very first time. Nothing matters, and you don't care about any of the characters.

Maybe I'm easily pleased, but then so's a lot of other people!

[sjmd1156-1 · 17 September 2014]

I was brought up thinking that a book had to have a story line packed full of memorable incidents, poems had to rhyme, and films were supposed to be full of action to be appreciated. I'm glad to say that I grew out of that 'please me quick' attitude. Yes if I'm in the mood for a dose of that I can gladly take it, but these days you are likely to overdose on that. I tend to seek films like this these days and I'm not at all disappointed. God's Pocket has been explained a few times already so I won't bother to do that. I'm just here to try and encourage others to enjoy this film for what it is, a great little offbeat film with tremendous characters, an everyday story of working people that takes a few twists and turns here and there, with a lovely dark streak running right through it. I for one loved it.

1970s. Slice of life in working class Philly neighborhood.

[ritera1 · 7/10 · 6 August 2022]

Young man dies. Hoffman is short the funeral money. Jenkins is a drunk columnist. Mafia element.

Well done but more of the same vs other movies like this. Not really likable people. Not terrible people. Just tryin' to make their way.

THAT'S WHAT I SAW TOO. WHAT HE SAID.

[nogodnomasters · 7/10 · 22 April 2018]

Leon (Caleb Landry Jones) is not a very likeable young man. He is killed after he pulls a knife on a worker and insults him. Everyone saw he was murdered, yet everyone saw an industrial accident. His mother Jeanie (Christina Hendricks) believes something is wrong. Her husband Mickey (Philip Seymour Hoffman) thinks so too, but is distracted by his "side" businesses and gambling.

The story centers on a small community known as "God's Pocket" a small sector of the city where everybody knows everything about everyone within the neighborhood. They don't like outsiders.

Philip Seymour Hoffman once again shines in the third movie that he has made since he died. He will be in two more. (David Carradine did nine.) The film was a comedy at times, but was mostly a tragedy. I think those who would simply call it a dark comedy are smug individuals who have never lived in a working class community. You know the same people who looked down and laughed at the characters in "Jack Goes Boating." They need to be pummeled. (A little blue-collared dark humor inspired from the film.)

The film is character driven (not much action or plot) but is more about the character of a community than individuals. I would really like to see less of Philip Seymour Hoffman having sex, although not as bad as "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead."

Worth a rental. Good performances by what appears to be type casting.

Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity.

Like a Bukowski poem set to music...

[steveo122 · 6/10 · 9 November 2017]

Like a Bukowski poem set to music and sung by Tom Waits, a rancid, deep dark comedy of errors in an urban hell. An amazing ensemble of great actors. Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Turturro, Richard Jenkins, Eddie Marsan and many more of some of the finest drunks and lowlifes you'll see on film. Christina Hendricks, unfortunately, is out of place and out-skilled. The script walks with a limp and probably has a disease.

Great performances hampered by a lack of storytelling.

[BrentHankins · 6/10 · 20 May 2014]

It's 1978, and in a little working-class neighborhood on the south side of Philadelphia, Mickey Scarpato (Philip Seymour Hoffman) scrapes together a living as a small-time criminal alongside his best pal, Bird (John Turturro). Mickey's always been something of an outcast in God's Pocket - unlike most of its residents, he wasn't born and raised here - but his devotion to wife Jeanie (Christina Hendricks) and his ties to organized crime have at least garnered him a bit of respect.

When Jeanie's son Leon (Caleb Landry Jones) turns up dead on a construction site, the police tell her it was an accident, but she doesn't buy it. Eager to please, Mickey agrees to make inquiries into the circumstances of the boy's demise, and also arrange for the funeral services - sadly, he's woefully incapable of performing either of these duties without leading to some sort of calamity. Meanwhile, a well-known newspaper columnist (Richard Jenkins) is also investigating the death, but his first meeting with Jeanie leaves him far more concerned with getting under her skirt, rather than to the bottom of the mystery.

First-time director John Slattery (Mad Men) coaxes brilliant performances from the immensely talented cast he's assembled, with Hoffman's portrayal of a man broken and beaten down by life serving as a haunting reminder of the tragedy that would occur shortly after the film's Sundance debut. Hendricks is the lone weak point in an otherwise flawless cast, with her character's motivations for succumbing to the advances of an aging, alcoholic newspaperman straining the limits of credibility.

Much like the neighborhood where the film takes place, God's Pocket is populated with an assortment of interesting, colorful characters that we're anxious to learn more about. It's a shame, then, that none of these characters are ever fully developed. Slattery's debut plays more like a collection of scenes rather than a completed work, leaving the audience to only ponder what lies beneath the surface.

Worth Watching But Nothing To Rave About

[chicagopoetry · 5/10 · 28 August 2014]

God's Pocket is worth a watch if for nothing else to see the talented Phillip Seymour Hoffman in one of his final leading roles. The film however is pretty depressing and tries too hard to be another Last Exit To Brooklyn without daring to go the extra mile regarding shock value. It's an interesting take on a story told a hundred times before, as this time the mafia thugs who are trying to extort and bully the community get chewed up and spit out by the community. We're made to believe that's because this community is so rough and tough and hardboiled and bad, but the characters don't really come across like that. The motivations of the characters are really hard to follow. One minute the main character is asking for the $700 that is owed him, the next minute (after losing everything he has on a bad horse race bet) he's acting like he doesn't want the $700 and only reluctantly taking it. And then there's the excruciatingly depressing subplot of the elderly journalist who strikes up an affair with the main character's wife, played completely vapidly by Mad Men's Christina Hendricks. The entire thing makes no sense, why she would so easily be seduced by him, how the community all knew about the affair literally moments after it happened, why she just stood there as the journalist was getting beat up at the end, showing no emotion at all. I just didn't understand what any of that had to do with anything other than they needed some narrative to create a movie that was longer than 80 minutes. Anyway, this is worth a watch. It's not completely horrible. But it's no Mean Streets either.

Not what I expected

[beebeedoo · 6/10 · 6 January 2018]

The movie description on Showtime reads "a small town man tries to hide the fact that he's responsible for the death of his stepson in a construction accident" . That's not at all the story!!!! I went ahead and watched because of the excellent actors, PSHoffman, Richard Jenkins, John Turturro, Eddie Marsan, and a few others. What a bunch of unexpected events! There was some drama, some comedy, and an all out strange ending. I enjoyed this movie and would recommend to others to check it out.

Uneven Effort

[rtomkinse · 4/10 · 20 October 2014]

How to sum up this movie? It has a good helping of Coen-brothers-like black humor (minus the great music), a dash of Tarantino-esque surprising violence, and at the center of it all a sad Philip Seymour Hoffman just trying to make everything alright and an ethereal Christina Hendricks floating through it all.

The story: in an insular Philadelphia neighborhood called God's Pocket (which was actually filmed in Yonkers, NY), a despicable 20ish kid gets himself killed and his survivors have to deal with the fallout. His stepfather Mickey (Hoffman) doesn't have the money for a funeral. His mother Jeanie (Hendricks) suspects foul play but can't begin to figure out what happened.

Richard Jenkins is excellent as the boozy reporter working the story. The only problem is that his character is not believable. Supposedly the people in this gritty working-class neighborhood adore this reporter because he "gets" them. Yet in the voice-overs of him reading his poetically crafted articles, that just doesn't ring true. Devotees of The New York Times Sunday Magazine might appreciate his prose, but not likely this crowd of barflies.

Very believable, on the other hand, is Peter Gerety as the tough neighborhood bartender who helps raise money for the funeral and tries to shield Mickey from some further bad news.

The talents of John Turturro are wasted in his role as Mickey's gambling buddy.

The most disappointing part is that it didn't all hang together with a strong, consistent flow for me. It's an uneven ride that works out okay in the end, kind of.

A wonderful movie

[temrok9 · 8/10 · 31 October 2014]

I can not understand how people who call themselves critics can dismiss this movie as boring or uninvolving.I mean I can understand everyone's right not to like what's going on in a film or not to find a kind of narration interesting, but when you want to be called a film critic you have to acknowledge the perfection of this subtle movie, in which the low tones gradually and masterfully build to a piece of art.I enjoyed the film very much, it is superbly written, acted and directed (and I have to say that it is the second time recently that a wonderful film comes out of a Pete Dexter book, after the Paperboy), and I was glad I spent my time watching it.And yes, we will miss Philip Seymour Hoffman very much, as he probably was the best actor of his generation.

Masterful actors performing in a less than masterful movie

[imseeg · 7/10 · 15 May 2023]

The good: how can I resist watching a movie with Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Turturo. They dont come any better and ofcourse it's a joy to watch them both perform.

But there is a catch, there is (almost) always a catch...

The bad: however magnificent these famous and masterful actors are, the movie itself is less than masterful.

Somehow the director failed to inject more thrill and cojones into this movie. With this story and with such great actors I had expected more fireworks, but this movie ended up being a little bit tame, which kinda disappointed me.

Still worth a watch, because of these wonderful actors, but the movie itself fails to provide for the real fireworks I was hoping for...

The acting is excellent, but it can't save the script

[pjamok-692-397387 · 2/10 · 18 May 2014]

I was very excited to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman's performance, and it doesn't disappoint. He is excellent, as is the rest of the cast.

However, this is a film that just doesn't capture the viewer or offer a solid storyline. These are really sad people who stumble through life and, ultimately, are the product of their own actions, choices, and bad behavior. There is no character development to speak of and no way to feel engrossed in the story. I'm not sure how the title ties in, but I'd have gone with Hell's Crotch over God's Pocket. It just doesn't make the viewer care.

I just wanted it to end, and I had to watch the whole thing because I paid $7.99 on Comcast on Demand. That will teach me.