Maggie Moore(s)

Directed by John Slattery, Maggie Moore(s) follows Jon Hamm’s Sheriff Jordan Sanders as he and his deputy (Nick Mohammed’s Reddy) attempt to solve a case involving two murdered women with the same name. It’s clear, ultimately, that Maggie Moore(s) fares best in its involving and tremendously appealing first half, as filmmaker Slattery, working from Paul Bernbaum’s screenplay, delivers a briskly-paced black comedy that bears more than a few similarities to the Coen brothers’ Fargo – with the agreeable vibe certainly heightened by the compelling efforts of Hamm and his various costars. (Happy Anderson, cast as a fearsome, deaf killer, turns in an energizing performance that remains a highlight, to be sure.) And while the central characters’ ongoing investigation, as well as their irresistible chemistry together, perpetuates the watchable vibe, Maggie Moore(s) admittedly does suffer from a handful of questionable narrative choices that wreak havoc on its forward momentum – with this particularly true of an initially-promising yet eventually-tiresome subplot detailing Jordan’s tentative relationship with Tina Fey’s sarcastic Rita Grace. The movie bounces back with a comparatively electrifying (and unexpectedly violent) climactic stretch that ensures it ends on a positive note, at least, with the final result a pretty-good endeavor that feels like it could (and should) be so much better.

**1/2 out of ****