A.C.O.D. (2013) Reviews

• Carter thinks he's past it all ....

  cekadah2014-02-13

  .... but Carter learns he misperceived something important! What a fun movie to watch! Everybody plays their part well. Poor Carter is caught in the middle of everybody's problems and needs. Then he discovers his past isn't quite what he thought it was! He has to pull all the family together for a wedding and maybe along the way he fixed a lot of lives. This is a feel good flick and it's done very well - no problems for me! You might not laugh out loud but I'm sure anyone will smile throughout this story! Watch it! You'll like it!

• A few funny moments, but too clearly a personal catharsis

  jimojimo2014-02-08

  As I started watching this movie, it became very obvious that this was a very personal, cathartic movie. I have no problem with that, it's done all the time--but what's important, interesting, funny, and meaningful to the writer/director, doesn't always translate into something meaningful to the viewer unless there is far more skill in the storytelling. And that is what I think this movie lacked. The plot simply covers the story of a a kid named Carter (and his younger brother Trey) who's father was a philanderer as a husband, as well as fairly cold and distant as a father. The father and mother haven't spoken for 20 years and the father has gone through several other step moms over those years. I'm sure the "seminal" moment of Carter's 9th birthday was a huge deal to writer, but it was thrust at us so quickly at the beginning of the movie that we didn't have time for any background/setup to even know or care what was going on. To me, that scene which was apparently so pivotal ended up a throwaway scene because the writer seemed so eager to tell it that he told it too soon without any context whatsoever. So we fast forward to Carter's now-successful (at least career-wise) life. There are a lot of funny moments here, but nothing we couldn't see in a half-hour sitcom. But the road the movie takes us down is a bit meandering and it seems very clear that we're going to have some sort of too-neatly wrapped up happy ending designed to close every loose end with a perfect situation and end all the pain of all the children who've gone through this situation. To me, it just smacked too much of someone dumping his messed-up life on us and his wish of what could have been. It didn't make for an entertaining movie. Maybe a half-hour episode of Trophy Wife or something would have been a better venue for this story. Jimo

• A lesson in how to bury a movie by calling it something weird.

  Ben_Cheshire2015-05-10

  So first of all, it stands for Adult Child of Divorce and its the main reason no-one heard of this one. It sounds like a disorder, and people go see comedies that seem like a good time, not a lot of work. Adam Scott's little bro wants to get married, and its his job to try and get his warring divorced parents to be in the same room together. Jane Lynch, Mary Elisabeth Winstead, Amy Poehler, Katherine O'Hara and Richard Jenkins are all great. Funny likable cast, terrific situation comedy, its only about 20 minutes too long. Truly the only reason this got buried was that terrible unwieldy title. 6/10 outwore its welcome by the end, but still, underrated.

• Clever, Smart Comedy

  hubin-12013-01-25

  A.C.O.D. is such a terrific film that it's difficult to believe that it's Zicherman's directorial debut. The screenplay, by Karlin and Zicherman, is remarkably clever and witty--combining humor with poignant insight to a very satisfying effect. Zicherman gets the pacing exactly right, showing faith in the intelligence of his audience by never belaboring a point. The characters are engaging and the acting is very great. If your an adult child of divorce or a divorced parent who worries about your children, you're likely to recognize something in this film. (When Carter goes through his parents' divorce papers, try to catch some of the petty, ridiculous allegations each makes.) In this film, you see revealed some painful truths about human nature and complex family relationships--always with humor and compassion. This is one of the best comedies I've seen.

• Going in with the cast I was expecting a hilarious comedy. This is good & worth seeing but don't expect a laugh-out-loud comedy.

  cosmo_tiger2014-01-11

  "Them together is bad for everyone, especially me." Carter (Scott) has settled into his life as an Adult Child Of Divorce. He has a girlfriend he likes and a restaurant he owns. When his brother Trey (Duke) informs him of his engagement things begin to fall apart for Carter. First he has to try and get his parents to talk to each other so the wedding won't be ruined. Then he must keep them from getting back together for his sake. Going in with that cast I was expecting a hilarious comedy that I would be laughing at the whole time. While this was a good movie and I did like it it wasn't nearly as funny as I was expecting. There are some funny parts in this but it wasn't the laugh riot I was expecting. This is more about the selfishness of one person and how he messes with everyone's life to make him more comfortable. There is some very funny moments in this but hard to make that plot hilarious. Again though this is a good movie and worth seeing but do not expect the laugh-out-loud comedy I did. Overall, good and worth seeing but not super funny. I give it a B.