In A.C.O.D. Adam Scott plays Carter, a successful restaurateur who seems to have it all. As a child however his parents (Richard Jenkins and Catherine O'Hara) were involved in a brutal divorce that drug on for years. When Carter's Brother Trey (Clark Duke) announces he is getting married, Carter tries to get his parents to a place where they can be in the same room for the sake of the wedding. Overwhelmed by the task, Carter turns to what he thinks is his childhood therapist Dr. Judith (Jane Lynch). Only he finds out she was an author who was using him as a subject of a study, Children of Divorce. Once they reconnect, Dr. Judith is inspired to write a follow up to her best seller and revisit the kids she included in the study. Along the way of preparing for his brother's wedding and participating in the new study we learn that Carter isn't as well adjusted as he seems. At which point all seems to go haywire for our viewing enjoyment. I enjoyed this film on many levels. The acting to start is what really makes this film, you could not have found a better cast. It's great to see Adam Scott and Richard Jenkins together, given how well they worked together in Stepbrothers (2008). Catherine O'Hara is always a pleasure to see in any comedy, a very underrated actress. Be it Home Alone (1990), Best in Show (2000) or Orange County (2002) she never disappoints. I hope that there are at least talks somewhere for her to do another Christopher Guest film full of adlibbed genius. Jane Lynch as the therapist/author is great as usual, not far off from the therapist role she played in Two and a Half Men. She does snarky sarcastic to a fine art form. Amy Poehler as the stepmother is funny as well, hard to miss with her in anything. Clark Duke is what I refer to as the poor man's Jonah Hill. He will work in the same capacity, just with limited acting range. I always feel like he is the exact same guy in every movie I see him in, Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) or Sex Drive (2008). What really made this film for me personally was the great indie rock soundtrack. As the film progressed I was surprised by more and more musical gems, Dirty Gold, Okkerville River, Deer Tick, Architecture in Helsinki, Audio Paint and Dr. Dog. If you are a fan of music the soundtrack alone is worth catching the movie for. Overall I would recommend A.C.O.D., its irreverent family dysfunction at its most entertaining levels. The film has a very hipster independent film feel, but not so much to where it's off putting. Currently the film is available on Netfilx and is easily a must see of comedies available on the format.
If you enjoyed this review, please check out my blog at yourturntopick.com
If you enjoyed this review, please check out my blog at yourturntopick.com