C.O.G.

Got to be one the most boring films I've watched in years. There was some acting that was good. But nearly every scene could have been 90 seconds but was dragged out to 15. Sedaris' essay may have been decent but the screenplay here was junk. On top of that the lead character was the most lost and lame person in history. O.K, that's the gist but I really didn't want to spend a quiet evening having to endure other people's problems.

I liked it, the lead was so cute and charming, very attractive inside and out. The movie sort of shows how some christians can be when it somes to LGBTQ things, they just do not care. The mixed messages of a church who combines law and gospel at the same time, creates a double hearted person, who loves but also hates, would hate LGBTQ people. Its good, sometimes we all need to get away and find ourselves, LGBTQ people, and in that journey, we sometimes encounter all sorts of people, people who are wolves in sheep's clothing, others who are wolves and want to eat us up. The movie did end in an odd manner, without closure, without answers, but him alone, in his path. That is how sometimes life is, we find ourselves alone, with no right answers, but we have to move on...

I've always been crazy about David Sedaris' writing: I read each essay the first time for its humor, the second time for more belly laughs, and the third time still laughing but also admiring Sedaris' artistry. I hadn't known about this film, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's quite faithful to the original essay and has good acting and an effective music score. Like the essay, it has an ambiguous ending. As someone who's both gay and Christian, I want to add that I appreciated the realism of the characters - there's an evil gay person and there's some evil Christians - but no caricatures! Even the worship service (not in the original) was true to form.

C.O.G. fulfills its title. The lead character wants only to be accepted and unconditionally loved. He leaves behind a life of privilege to find himself - and some acceptance - from people who have never been privileged. But just as it was in his former comfortable life, there are few in his new life who treat him like a C.O.G. Ultimately, he finds love from the one he needs it from the most - himself. Jonathan Groff is a standout. He's great in everything in which he appears. He alone helps make an otherwise OK film into a very good one.

This movie details the adventures of a somewhat naive Yale Graduate who decides to travel to Oregon and ends up working in an apple orchard. He meets some very interesting people as he tries to find himself before going on to a PhD. The lead actor Jonathan Groff(David) is excellent. The screenplay demonstrating his interactions with the other characters is very well done. The movie makes a deft statement about Christianity's view of homosexuality.

I make it a point to watch the entire movie if I want to review it. For this reason, I watched C.O.G. to the very end. The movie gives the viewer many reasons to want to hit the stop button and little reason to continue watching. In tone, this work is insulting to the communities that the main character encounters. In addition, the very premise of the the movie is problematic: a graduate student of Yale wishes to experience hardship, somewhat inanely, among various communities in Oregon: Farmers, factory and migrant workers, evangelizing christians, are conceived here as the unwashed, ignorant, bigoted, and unprogressive poor. In the eyes of this young man, their belief systems are a blight on life in general and a source of distress for him in particular. However, being apparently helpless against the ignorant masses, he has no answers and nor will he terminate his voluntary foray into their lives. So he just suffers among them for the duration of his planned time there. He doesn't start to understand this life differently and they never start to see him differently.The writing labors. A lot of bad language is employed, and crass humor abounds. Throughout the shoddy plot, much contrived discomfort is suffered. The acting is poor, the settings unnecessarily bleak. Although the issues are current (gay rights, underserved populations, etc), they are so ineptly handled as to leave the viewer feeling frustrated at all else that could have been said, done, understood, learned.In the end, the impression one gets is that ultimately, there is little of value in this negative and deficient work.

I liked it. I think the lead character really brought-to-life the struggle of Sedaris about how difficult is was to be "open" about his sexuality in the 1970's and 1980's. (He's addressed it in many essays). I also understand that those who expected it to be a comedy--since Sedaris is most often identified as a humor writer--could be disappointed. Having read all of his books/essays though, I thought the film gave a great "visual" account of his work.

i loved the preview for the film. so much so that i rented it even after reading several negative reviews. i must say that i am glad i did. the film had a dry humor, and rather expertly captured the longing that is so familiar for those of us who have never managed to fit in. Samual is in effect running from his old life. whatever bond or plan which he shared with his original travel companion is quickly shattered by her finding a heterosexual guy with a car. This lands him alone with a group of people who dont speak his language. thanks to a recommendation samuel moves to a better job fueling resentment amongst the day laborers. Further acts of alienation and hostility quickly follow. Samuel rides it out with general hope and unabashed determination. Ultimately claiming that he is the sickest ( read gayest) there is, officially coming out of the closet, a true milestone and hopefully the cathartic moment he has been looking for. Well worth watching.

I think this film captured the short story well and I really enjoyed watching it. I could relate a lot to the main character, and I think a lot of us can remember being young and scared and maybe a little too cocky in an attempt to hide our fears. There was one moment in particular that moved me to tears, but poignant moments are hidden throughout the film. I only wish the DVD had been released in region 2 format as I had to switch my laptop settings to play it.

This is a delightful film that will win over most of its audience with its humour and natural light-heartedness. It’s an unusual film that will be the better for finding its niche admirers and keeping well away from anything as bland as mainstream.Right off the bat it had me smiling and surprised at the quality of its colourful language, and I soon found I was falling in love with it. Never heard of Jonathan Groff before but I’ll definitely be looking out for him again.I love how he portrays David, maintaining his open mind and cheerful outlook despite a wealth of uncertainty. He meets characters as colourful as the language, but the help they offer doesn’t always end well.That’s what’s great about the film; there is a certain tension underlying most of David’s journey, and because of the wonderful humour throughout, the few moments it has of tension and gravity are more keenly felt.It has an uncanny feel; pacing, not to mention the characters; you never really know how to take any of them; whether or not they're genuine. It's this ambiguity that intrigues and provides some shocking - and some hilarious - moments.He eventually finds his way to Christianity via C.O.G, a local fellowship. The tension is most evident here as Jon (Denis O’Hare) is a real enigma. Despite the platitudes and sermons he spouts you get the impression he’s a bit of a loose cannon.O’Hare really shines here; he does a great job of presenting one face whilst just showing us a glimpse of his true one.David’s conversion is wonderfully done and confirms, as does another intense scene, that Jonathan Groff is a superb actor, entirely natural and wholly believable.The ending has received some criticism and I must agree; I found it awful. I'm not overly concerned with happy endings, but this was way too abrupt.It wouldn’t be half as bad if it had been balanced by a glimmer of hope, but no; we get a rather scathing and offensive diatribe from Jon, to which poor David can do nothing more than offer a meek agreement that he is as sick as they come.Crickey! It took me a few minutes to get over that ending, especially considering how easy it would have been to have added a spark of something good for David.Don’t let that put you off though; yes I fervently wish it were different, but the film is still incredibly enjoyable. It’s a warning, I guess, that sometimes despite our best intentions, or our furious denial, you can’t refute who you are, no matter whom that may be, or what you throw it its way. That sounds depressing, and it is, hence the contentious end. Do yourself a favour: the moment the screen goes (unceremoniously) black, don your director’s hat and make up your own!

Ein spannendes, etwas verqueres Roadmovie, das hervorragend besetzt ist. Jonathan Groff, der Star aus der wunderbaren TV-Serie LOOKING sitzt auch hier fest im Sattel seiner Rolle, die ihn in einem Sommer von der Jugend zum Erwachsensein führt. Sicher nicht jedermanns Geschmack, aber wer das Skurrile und Besondere mag, wird viel Freude an dem Film haben.

Great movie and Jonathan Groff (Glee and now Looking on HBO as well as broadway plays) is excellent as a young man coming to terms with adulthood.

this is the biggest lot of sh.te I have had the misfortune of watching in a very longtime. Americans and their stupid religion, the whole thing would be laughable if it wasn't so sad