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When Philip Seymour Hoffman died suddenly earlier this year, movie lovers everywhere mourned the untimely passing of a talented actor who still had so many moving performances left to give. Instead, Hoffman’s fans were left with just a few remaining films—like first-time director John Slattery’s God’s Pocket, in which Hoffman plays a character who’s faced with another man’s untimely death.
In this quiet drama, Hoffman stars as Mickey, a working-class guy from the small, working-class town of God’s Pocket. When Mickey’s good-for-nothing step-son, Leon (Caleb Landry Jones), is killed in what’s reported as a job site accident, Mickey finds himself in a tough spot. His wife, Jeanie (Christina Hendricks), is convinced that there’s more to the story—that Leon’s death wasn’t just an accident—and she sends him out to uncover the truth. But the cause of Leon’s death is the least of Mickey’s concerns—because funerals are expensive, and Mickey’s short on cash.
It’s hard to say what God’s Pocket really is. It’s not really a mystery, since it shows exactly how Leon died. It’s not a crime caper, though Mickey and his friends often resort to crime to make ends meet. And it’s not a comedy, though it definitely has its share of pitch-black humor. For the most part, then, it’s just a gritty, character-driven drama—the story of a working-class guy who’s in way over his head. He doesn’t know how to care for his grieving wife. He can’t afford the funeral. And no matter how hard he tries to handle the situation, everything seems to go horribly wrong.
Hoffman was definitely the perfect man for the job. He’s appropriately awkward as Mickey, a normal, everyday guy who seems completely baffled by the events that play out around him. He simply plods along, setting out to do what needs to be done, not knowing how to handle grief or funerals or a wife who’s desperate for both love and closure. He’d rather just live his life and have a beer with the rest of the regulars at the bar across the street at the end of the day.
Meanwhile, the town itself also plays an important role in the film. It’s the setting that adds interest—that sets this film apart from every other indie drama. There’s just something fascinating about God’s Pocket—about the people who live there, the way they survive, and they way they stand up for their own when it really matters. The people of God’s Pocket live on gossip and shady business—and the whole town seems to be one big grey area.
God’s Pocket is a film that’s full of promise; the story, the setting, and the characters are all fascinating. The problem, however, is that none of it seems to go anywhere. The characters are underdeveloped. The story meanders. And, in the end, nothing is resolved. Though Hoffman gives a wonderfully understated performance as the beleaguered husband, he simply wasn’t given enough to work with. And, as a result, is an intriguing but ultimately unsatisfying drama.
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