David Lamble Bay Area Reporter Jun 19, 2020

In Kyle Patrick Alvarez's funny adaptation of David Sedaris' essay, out actor Jonathan Groff channels a prideful sissy-boy on the verge of hilarious pratfalls...

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Alexander Ryll Gay Essential Sep 15, 2019

There are two other somewhat unrelated parts to C.O.G. - making the entire film inadvertently seem as if it exists as three largely unrelated stories with David as their only link.

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Bernard Boo Way Too Indie Apr 12, 2019 6.7/10

We should love these characters, but Alvarez hurries by them and doesn't give us much of a chance to get acquainted.

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Dan Schindel Movie Mezzanine Feb 5, 2014 B

A promising sophomore effort from Easier with Practice writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez, and a great star turn for Jonathan Groff.

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Jonathan Kiefer SF Weekly Feb 4, 2014

It feels deeply limited.

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Eric D. Snider About.com Oct 1, 2013 2.5/5

It's not necessarily the events Sedaris describes that make his essays enjoyable; it's the words he uses to describe them. Without his voice, the story falls flat.

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Marc Mohan Oregonian Oct 1, 2013 B+

A coming-of age story with specific touches but a universal appeal.

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Todd Jorgenson Cinemalogue Sep 30, 2013

The sardonic humor hits the mark more often than not, and Groff brings sympathy to an otherwise smug and pretentious character.

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Kelly Vance East Bay Express Sep 26, 2013

This America takes some getting used to.

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Matt Pais RedEye Sep 23, 2013 3.5/4

Everyone in this wonderful surprise is looking for a place to belong while ultimately having to look out for No. 1. And I don't mean that in the spiritual sense.

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Fr. Chris Carpenter Movie Dearest Sep 21, 2013 C

I really wanted to like this film, being a fan of Sedaris' writing, of (screenwriter-director) Alvarez and of the great actors assembled here. Unfortunately, the screenplay lacks focus and is more often cruel than comedic.

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Cory Everett The Playlist Sep 20, 2013 B-

Despite some good performances and sharp screenplay, C.O.G., like its lead character, seems stuck in the space between.

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David Noh Film Journal International Sep 20, 2013

Stale, flat and unprofitable might be how Shakespeare would have also described this uninvolving David Sedaris adaptation.

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Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune Sep 20, 2013 2.5/4

Modest and good-looking, the film starts as dark comedy and ends in pathos. Director Alvarez makes the Oregon scenery a character unto itself.

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Dan Callahan RogerEbert.com Sep 20, 2013

People who approach it as a film in its own right, with its own rhythms and goals and pleasures, will be amply rewarded.

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Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times Sep 19, 2013 2.5/5

Despite smatterings of wit and a stable of skilled performers, "C.O.G." struggles to find a consistent tone, its episodic structure veering from farcical to poignant to dangerously raw.

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David Lewis San Francisco Chronicle Sep 19, 2013 3/4

a dramedy that keeps you guessing where the main character is going (emotionally and physically) as he drifts from one odd situation to the next.

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Randy Cordova Arizona Republic Sep 19, 2013 3.5/5

The film features snappy, hilarious bits among the coming-of-age vignettes, but it loses momentum as it winds toward a finish. You won't grow bored with the characters, but you might check your watch a few times.

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Robert Abele Los Angeles Times Sep 19, 2013 2/5

For Sedaris fans, "C.O.G." is a regrettably patronizing washout.

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Eric Kohn IndieWire Sep 19, 2013 B+

"C.O.G" is like a collage of Americana from the perspective of someone incapable of comprehending its value.

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