A.C.O.D. is a solid Sundance film that will most likely gain
more viewers once it hits Netflix due to its minimal advertisement. The movie
follows the life of a new generation, the life of an Adult Child Of Divorce
(A.C.O.D.). A cast with outstanding actors
like Richard Jenkins, Catherine O’Hara, Jane Lynch and Jessica Alba then add
the NBC comedic stars like Adam Scott and Amy Poehler from Parks and Recreation, with The
Office’s Clark Duke, this could be a comedy Oscar pitch. The expectation
for this comedy entails moments of grasping for air. The film had its laughing
moments with parents bickering, awkward sexual scenes and the life of the upper
class—stereotypical, maybe, but predictable only a little.
The start of the movie is a dramatic event viewed through a
video camera lens of two parents fighting at a birthday party. Surprise, the
temperamental couple is Hugh (Jenkins) an old, rich, materialistic jerk and
Melissa (O’Hara) loony, over-dramatic business manager. The world of Carter,
Adam Scott, forever changes from that day.
Now both parents are on spouse number three, always trying to out-do
each other. Relationships are hard to understand.
Guessing from the movie poster, the film revolves around the
life of Carter, who has grown-up into a successful adult or so he thinks. Beer-goggles fog up his view of trying to live a normal adult life despite a quirky, ugly, funny and traumatic divorce. He
supports his brother Trey, Clark Duke by letting him live in his garage. Trey
is getting married to his girlfriend of four-months, while Carter has a
girlfriend of four-years and hasn’t given her a key to his home. This eloping
means bringing the parents together to tolerate each other in the same room.
Through chaos Carter reaches out to his therapist, Dr.
Judith (Lynch), only to find out she is a scientist researching psychotherapy
of children of divorce. Lynch is great, her scientific, hippy-aura plays off
smoothly with the frantic “case studies.” It is believable that she is there to
inspire and study rather then play therapy lesson with her subjects.
There comes a point when Carter sets his parents up to have
dinner, thinking he resolved their tolerance for each other, but he may have
resolved feelings more than tolerance. Carter’s internal struggle and desire
for his parents to never get along conflict who he is, this socially and
professionally successful man has flaws. The dialogue of divorce gives this
film a serious undertone loosing its comedic flare. There are times when you
laugh, but by the end there’s a wallowing feeling to emote for Carter because
he has shame or struggles accepting how he handles conflict when he shelters
his brother so much that he never saw pain from the divorce or when he verbally
states he doesn’t want to be a part of the family as any easy way out.
People who are not from a divorced home can still enjoy the
movie and relate to the main character with how family affects your future
judgment. A.C.O.D. is a journey through a modern family life rarely viewed
naturally without negative reflection. As
the credits role, clips of employees on the set talk about how they are all
children of divorce, minus a few born into “happy” marriages. It also feels
like you’re leaving an A.C.O.D. group meeting giving a melancholic thought of marriage
having a high chance to never work out. The closing confessions, even admitted
by the director, Stu Zicherman, give the movie its full honest truth. Divorce
is real and common—a natural habit and family is forever.
"A.C.O.D." – 3 stars
MPAA rating: R (for language and
brief sexual content drug)
Running time: 1:28
Opens: October 11, 2013
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