God's Pocket

Director: John Slattery

Year: 2014

God’s Pocket is a movie that leaves me gnashing my teeth for what could have been. The killer lineup of actors, in particular, John Turturro, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Richard Jenkins set against a poor, blue collar, never quite defined northeast suburb and a small, dark, ugly little story has all the elements of a powder keg. Sadly, the explosion is more a pop than a boom.

  

The setup is such: Jeanie Scarpato (Christina Hendricks) is in a loveless marriage with shlub, Mickey Scarpato (Hoffman). She has an adult child, Leon (Caleb Landry Jones), from a previous relationship living with them. Leon is a loud-mouthed drug addict with a switch blade for a best friend – and Jeanie believes her little boy is perfect. Mickey’s a hustler who owns a meat-delivery truck and does small-time crime to make ends meet. His partner in crime is Arthur ‘Bird’ Capezio (John Turturro). Sal Cappi (Domenick Lombardozzi) is the heavy who watches over everything and takes his cut plus points as he pleases.

The city of God’s Pocket is a character. The locals worship mostly at a bar (Hollywood). Smilin’ Jack Moran (Eddie Marsan) owns the local mortuary. It’s clear we’ll get to know him soon as we’re given an early flash-forward of him getting punched out. On the outside, looking in and occasionally dropping in, they have an unspoken hero in longtime local columnist, Richard Shellburn (Richard Jenkins). Shellburn is a washed out drunk newspaperman who keeps writing the same material over and over again when he chooses to write anything at all.

                                                         

God’s pocket features several pitch-perfect performances, adulterous sex, crime, murder, racism and gambling gone wrong. Like the set up so far? Me too.

The potential for dynamic relationships and on screen fireworks is inherent with all the existing elements. Occasionally, Director John Slattery (who is better known for playing Roger Sterling on Mad Men) delivers the goods, like in the setup to Leon’s murder. The problem is the story doesn’t have linear drive. Slattery loses control of the vehicle about halfway in, never allowing his characters (mostly Jeanie and Bird) their much needed arcs. Hoffman is simply superb. It would have been nice to see he and Hendricks hash out their wounded relationship more on screen – but that was neutered by the omni-presence of her two sisters there to keep him from bothering her. While the setup is believable, it keeps us from seeing a key relationship at work. Perhaps Slattery knew she was overmatched and was trying to shield her - a mistake either way. Turturro and Hoffman, too, have moments, but never quite the depth of relationship we hope to see. Shellburn is the most difficult character – perhaps because of the power he wields by reputation but how little he offers. Everything that he has done is in the past. Everything he is and does now is repulsive. He’s a drunk letch with no redeeming characteristics. I suppose it could be argued that Slattery tries to give him a come-uppance at the end, with the whole movie unspooling wildly, I didn’t really care.  

The walkaway ending is curious at best – an attempt at a neat ribbon on an extremely messy package. The resonance on this film will exist for one reason only: to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman. For fans of his, it’s worth the rental.

Resonance Rating: 3.5 out of 5