maandag 11 augustus 2014

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 96: A.C.O.D.

Director: Stu Zicherman
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O’Hara, Jane Lynch, Amy Poehler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jessica Alba

Description: Carter (Adam Scott) is a grown man caught in the crossfire of his parents' 15-year divorce discovers he was unknowingly part of a study on divorced children and is enlisted in a follow-up years later, which wreaks new havoc on his family.

Review: In America the chance of a marriage ending is fifty percent. At least that’s what the beginning of this movie tells us. A.C.O.D. stands for Adult Children of Divorce and the successful Carter is the classic example of that. Always the mediator between his parents, trying to get their approval and always insecure. Then he discovers a book written by a child psychologist, and he is one of the subjects. When Carter’s brother is getting married, he needs his parents to act civil around each other.
Carter’s personality crisis is told in a light fashion and is never dull. This is director Stu Zicherman’s debut film and scenarist Ben Karlin wrote episodes of “Modern Family”. Together they manage to get some good jokes and funny dialogues. Adam Scott fulfills his leading role very well, but it’s his on screen parents Richard Jenkins and Catherine O’Hara that give “A.C.O.D.” the living color. And also Jane Lynch, as psychologist Dr. Judith, steals the show.
There is a good balance between comedy and drama, but towards the end it’s losing that balance. It gets more serious and is trying to go a bit deeper. The humor doesn’t have the edge like a satire, so it doesn’t work.
“A.C.O.D.” is an enjoyable film, a pretty good debut by Stu Zicherman. Sadly it didn’t manage to keep that same level the entire runtime, but it’s still a fun film.

Rating: 3/ 5

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