One of the more highly anticipated films at Sundance, God's Pocket is about a dysfunctional family in the armpit of America where everyone knows everyone and news travels faster than a text message. Mickey, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, lives with his wife and racist stepson. Mickey is a drunk deadbeat, plain and simple. His line of work isn't the most glamorous. When he isn't working, he's drinking, so much so he grows distant from his wife, played by Christina Hendricks. His intentions are good, but he gets caught up with local deadbeats, and like a ripple effect, one misfortune happens after the next.
Co-starring John Turturro, Eddie Marsan and Richard Jenkins, God's Pocket is a unique and flawed story from actor/director John Slattery, who adapted the screenplay from the novel of the same name. The film overall is a bit disjointed and underdeveloped. Think of it as a poor impersonation of Fargo. The acting is charming enough, but the lack of character development makes for a very detached film experience. Slattery definitely has the chops to direct features; this one just misses the mark.
