A.C.O.D.

In the lead-up to his younger brother's wedding, Carter (Adam Scott playing a similarly uptight yet much less likable character here than in Parks And Recreation) discovers that as a child he unwittingly participated in a study of divorced children, which was published in a book. Its author, Dr Judith (Jane Lynch), decides to do a follow-up study of the now adult children of divorce (aka A.C.O.D.). During all this Carter's caught up by new complications in his parents' messy divorce and somewhere down the track realises that his self-appointed role as the voice of reason might not be particularly helpful, or reasonable.

The appealing cast – Richard Jenkins and Catherine O'Hara as Carter's parents Hugh and Melissa; Amy Poehler as Hugh's sharp third wife; Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Carter's long-term girlfriend; Jessica Alba as a seductive fellow ACOD – are not given much to work with, Carter's somewhat dickish character hogging all the screen time. The absurd plot, while not totally predictable, doesn't offer much in the way of laugh-out-loud moments, with only occasional throwaway lines eliciting a few chuckles. A.C.O.D. examines the complexity of love and relationships – as well as the way our parents shape our capacity for and view of those things – but lacks any real depth or shred of emotion. In fact, we gain more insight through the credit snippets of real-life ACODs answering questions about their own experiences.