Review of C.O.G. (2013) by Thomas W — 05 Nov 2013

C.O.G. is surprisingly the very first film adaptation based upon any of the works of David Sedaris, an American humorist/writer/radio contributor who has also written the screenplay and adapted his own story to the screen.

The film is based on a semi-autobiographical short story found in Sedaris' book of essays entitled "Naked" which chronicled the author's young life growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina through his drunken years at college.

Jonathan Groff (The Conspirator, 'Glee') plays Samuel, a fresh-out-of-college Ivy Leaguer who is trying to gain new life experiences by stepping out of a very comfortable shell he has found himself in because of a privileged childhood.

Samuel has taken a bus to Oregon where he gains employment on an apple farm ran by a man called Hobbs (Dean Stockwell - Air Force One, Blue Velvet). Out of his element, his mannerisms and intellect and way of speaking draws both ire and laughs from his co-workers who do not know what to make of him.

He makes some friends at work (Corey Stoll - Midnight in Paris) while another man in town preaching the word of God on the street (Denis O'Hare - 'American Horror Story') tries to win him over with kindness and a helpful hand.

Trying to find a place in the world where he fits in (as he tries to desperately escape something from his past), Samuel reluctantly becomes involved in a local church where he begins to find purpose and understanding.

In C.O.G., not everyone is what they seem and Samuel learns all of this as his life plays out. I'm sure some will walk away insulted from this film if they look at it through blinders not realizing the film is about individuals and not groups of people.

While Samuel is uncertain whether or not he wants to become a C.O.G., he is a cog in the machine of life. The acting here is quite good and Groff plays his role well. There is quite a bit of dark humor here and there (true Sedaris) but it does end in pathos as it asks for understanding, compassion and sympathy for most involved.

Perhaps I ended up liking this as much as I did because I expected nothing from it. I found it to be a rather rewarding watch ... but it will be something different to every viewer.