Where God Left His Shoes

Somber but touching inner-city drama in which a down-on-his-luck professional boxer (John Leguizamo) and his 9-year-old stepson (David Castro) spend Christmas Eve crisscrossing New York in search of a job that will qualify him to move his family -- including his wife (Leonor Varela) and daughter (Samantha Rose) -- out of a homeless shelter and into a housing project. A brief but inappropriate sexual discussion aside, writer-director Salvatore Stabile's deeply felt but unsentimental portrait of life on the economic margins, with its social humiliations and bureaucratic stonewalling, quietly asserts the power of human dignity, marital fidelity and family solidarity in the face of challenging circumstances. Some instances of petty crime, one use of the F-word, some crude language, brief sexual references and a physical abuse theme. A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. 2008

Where God Left His Shoes (Full Review)

[Please note: In addition to its limited theatrical release, the film is also available through Video on Demand on many cable television systems.]

"Where God Left His Shoes" (IFC) is a deeply felt but unsentimental portrait of life on the economic margins that features an understated script and restrained but touching performances from a small cast led by John Leguizamo.

He plays down-on-his-luck professional boxer Frank Diaz. Two months after being evicted from their apartment, Frank and his family -- wife Angela (Leonor Varela), their daughter Christina (Samantha Rose) and Angela's son Justin (David Castro) -- have a shot at moving out of their cramped homeless shelter and into a housing project.

Frank's been working at a construction job "off the books," but in order to qualify must prove he has a legitimate and steady salary. With a deadline of 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, he and 9-year-old Justin crisscross New York in an urgent quest for employment, their search made all the more poignant by the festive mood of the city around them.

Justin's own father had physically abused both him and his mother. At once savvy and vulnerable, he disparages Frank freely, but longs for his affection nonetheless. Despite being driven to some low-level crimes such as turnstile-jumping and shoplifting, Frank is fundamentally decent and does his best to mentor the boy, warning him against the corrosive effects of fear.

A brief but questionable sexual discussion between these two aside, writer-director Salvatore Stabile's study of inner-city frustration -- aggravated by social humiliation and bureaucratic stonewalling -- quietly asserts the power of human dignity, marital fidelity and family solidarity in the face of even the most challenging circumstances.

Leguizamo is perfectly assured throughout, and his role in this somber tale offers him the chance to display a subtlety and gift for emotional shading largely absent from his portrayal of an up-and-coming lawyer in the Christmas-themed comedy "Nothing Like the Holidays."

The film contains some instances of petty crime, one use of the F-word, some crude language, brief sexual references and a physical abuse theme. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

The classifications are as follows:

A-I -- general patronage;
A-II -- adults and adolescents;
A-III -- adults;
L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
O -- morally offensive.

Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.