For some, watching A.C.O.D. may be like realizing there’s a club out there that you didn’t know you belonged to; a group of adults who have successfully, or unsuccessfully, integrated into mainstream society despite their unconventional childhood (blame placed on the divorced parents). These people are called “A.C.O.D.s,” or “Adult Children of Divorce”. Carter, played by Adam Scott, is one of these people.
Carter is seemingly a well-adjusted guy, running a successful restaurant, in a long-term relationship with his supportive girlfriend (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and has a great dynamic with his divorced parents, but only when visiting them one at a time. His parents (Richard Jenkins and Catherine O’Hara) are ridiculously childish, with their banter making up a good portion of the film’s comedy, and their awful behavior towards each other presents a problem for Carter, as news of his little brother Trey’s (Clark Duke) wedding day approaches.
Carter wants nothing more than for his parents to be able to enjoy Trey’s wedding together, so he stages an “intervention” to bring the two back to speaking terms. What Carter doesn’t plan on, however, is their re-sparked chemistry, which leads to an affair, and now Carter’s problem isn’t how to bring them together, but rather, how to peel them off of each other.
In a room full of movie critics, I even heard several laugh out loud… which is a good sign for any comedy.
The characters in the film are what make it such a solid comedy; first off there’s Adam Scott, the quintessential sarcastic anti-hero. Then there’s Jane Lynch, the wacky pseudo-psychologist who tries to help Carter deal with being an “A.C.O.D.” Amy Poehler is a genius as Carter’s stepmom, Sondra, although a bit of a strange dynamic since us “Parks & Rec” fans are used to seeing Poehler as Scott’s lover. Richard Jenkins and Catherine O’Hara round out the comedic roster. If any actor were missing from this film, it wouldn’t be half the success I project it to be.
A.C.O.D. is a genuinely funny film with an all-star cast, an obvious success for first-time director Stu Zicherman. Although it’s not flawless, Jessica Alba’s character is seemingly pointless and the script does tend to drag on at times, but overall, it’s a very enjoyable film. In a room full of movie critics, I even heard several people laugh out loud… which is a good sign for any comedy.
