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.

Set in a fictitious area of Philadelphia, GOD'S POCKET is the story of a down-at-heel area whose inhabitants struggle to make a living. Mickey Scarpato (Philip Seymour Hoffman) delivers meat and does little "jobs" on the side, aided and abetted by Arthur (John Turturro), who also runs a flower-shop with his wife. Mickey, married to Jeanie (Christina Hendricks), suffers a bereavement when Jeanie's son Leon (Caleb Landry Jones) meets a violent end at work, even though everyone protests it was an accident. Campaigning journalist Richard Shellburn (Richard Jenkins) of the local paper decides to investigate the case, but becomes far more interested in Jeanie than his work.Structurally speaking, John Slattery's debut feature contains strong echoes of PULP FICTION insofar as it portrays a world where random things happen and characters have very little control over events. Mickey tries to arrange an expensive funeral for Leon, but owing to a series of comic events - as well as his own gambling losses - he ends up with Leon's corpse in his butcher's van. The local newspaper subsequently reports that Leon has died twice. Arthur's flower-shop is menaced by two toughs out for revenge, but they are unexpectedly shot by his elderly wife who happens to keep a loaded shotgun on the premises for safety. Meanwhile Richard ends up writing a typically rhetorical piece on God's Pocket for his weekly column, and ends up getting beaten up by the local residents for his pains. No one, it seems, has control over their lives - which helps to explain why many residents seek solace in a seedy neighborhood bar at all times of the day.The film starts slowly: much of the dialog is indistinct, and punctuated with imprecations. Yet this is part of the film's point; in an area such as this verbal communication doesn't really matter. All the locals are out for what they can get, and are prepared to resort to violence and trickery to achieve their ends. Seymour Hoffman's Mickey comes across as a fundamentally unsympathetic personality, more interested in his gambling than his family.In the end Mickey leaves with Arthur for an unspecified, if idyllic location. They have no further use for God's Pocket. Yet even while they enjoy the benefits of their motor-caravan, Arthur is still taken off for a lesson in markspersonship by his wife. Violence, it seems, is endemic to this society, and everyone needs to protect themselves in whatever way they can.

I really enjoyed this film. It's a nice slow moving piece with colourful characters living their daily lives in their colourful neighborhood. It's indeed mainly quite a sad story about people that are bogged down in their routines and lifestyles, but it's also kind of quirky and bleakly funny in it's own tragic way. A simple story of what happened to.. that focuses on the people surrounding the "victim" and all the logistical problems that arise from the fatality.One can't praise Philip Seymour Hoffman enough, for in fact his entire body of work, but this is really the kind of film I like seeing him in. The character he plays fits him so well, it's almost painful to watch. A terrible, terrible loss. I cannot name an actor that would even come close to him.John Turturro is just plain sweet as the "partner in crime". He plays the kind of guy you would like to get to know, he's got something truly endearing. Yes the film is filled with wonderful characters, Richard Jenkins is perfect and probably has the most interesting role as a writer looking for, I guess, his life. Plus he has the privilege of playing some great scenes with the gorgeous Christina Hendricks. It would happen to me too, Mr. Shellburn.. Instantly!A sweet and sour story, a wonderfully acted chunk of daily life in a blue collar neighborhood, a fitting goodbye to a great actor. 8/10

Devil's PocketDevils Pocket (God's Pocket), is a snapshot of reality...whether we like it, or not. Love is not all around, as the MTM theme happily proclaimed, back in the 1970s. We gratify ourselves with drugs... we die tragically, and young... but before that, we strut and shout our moment upon the stage, trying to make good, against the fear, hatred, poverty, crime, misery and madness, that is OUR neighborhood. Perhaps every neighborhood.It's so easy to criticize (this movie). But never do we point a finger, at ourselves.