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Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I just finished watching C.O.G. I am giving it an 8 on the IMDb. Pluses: the editing is perfect-- it knows when to cut to the next scene and when to slow down and let us linger a bit on the characters; and I'd say the performances are a plus-- even the child actors stay in character and seem genuine. Minus: the scriptwriter keeps reminding us how smart the main character is to set him apart from the others, meaning the others are stereotyped as hicks.Plus or minus: There's no sex in it. A near rape scene but nothing is shown and it's over quickly.The relationships he has with the people he meets are very interesting. Quirky. Often sincere. Sometimes filled with anger. There's definitely a touch of Steinbeck felt throughout the narrative. The Grapes of Wrath (the novel) is mentioned as the reason he went out west; and the first third of the movie which takes place on an apple farm is a bit like Of Mice and Men, with the men in the bunkhouse. The movie has no real ending; it's brilliant in that regard; since he's left to journey on to the next place with the next set of situations. There should be a sequel, with more stories from the original source material. Jonathan Groff, the guy who plays David/Samuel the lead character is quite good.The scene in the church where he becomes a Christian is beautifully and poignantly played. I like how the film shows the contradictions in Christianity and the contradictions in the gay subculture. On that level it's remarkably authentic and bold.

For those who admire the writings of David Sedaris (essays and short stories - Barrel Fever, Naked (1997), Holidays on Ice (1997), Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000), Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (2004), and When You Are Engulfed in Flames (2008, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, and Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls (2013) and thus know that much of Sedaris's humor is autobiographical and self-deprecating, and often concerns his family life, his middle-class upbringing in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, Greek heritage, being out as a gay man, jobs, education, drug use, obsessive behaviors and his life in France, London, and the English South Downs) will be pleased to see his humor translated to the screen by writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez. The other aspect of this at times controversial film that makes it important is the choice of casting Jonathan Groff, the gay actor who begins the television series 'Looking' this spring. The choices make the film even more enjoyable because the emphasis is not on the gay aspect but instead on the trials of coming of age and struggling with all the bulwarks society places in our way.David (meant to be David Sedaris) is a cocky young man who graduates from Yale, yet to escape his dysfunctional family and see the world as it really is, travels to Oregon to work on an apple farm run by Hobbs (Dean Stockwell). Struggling as a non-Hispanic worker he is befriended by a driver named Curly (Corey Stoll) who picks up on David's sexual ambiguity and attempts to seal his fate. David escapes, falls under the wing Jon (Denis O'Hare), a evangelistic Christian who has a history of alcohol addition and anger management all of which he hides under the cloak of being a C.O.G. (Child of God). David joins Jon in making jade clocks in the shape of Oregon to sell at the fair. He 'sees the light' and decides to become a C.O.G. and from there the story plays out in very strange ways. Out of his element, he finds his lifestyle and notions being picked apart by everyone who crosses his path. And his final coming out realization is gently subtle.The cast is uniformly excellent, but the major kudos go to Jonathan Groff who demonstrates his fine acting skills and magnetic screen presence. The film is after all just a story about a boy of our times. It resonates well. Grady Harp

I really liked this film because the main character reminded me of myself at that age: a bit naive about the world, clueless about how privileged I was to have gone to college, and terrified of recognizing the fact that I was gay. Jonathan Groff is such a pleasure to watch, you could justify watching the film as an excuse to look at Groff for 85 minutes. But he really does perform the role well here.It's just a simple film in a way: a young man sets out to break away from the world he knows to see if he can make sense of it. And it appears his family has cut him off so perhaps he had no choice. There are some little moments that will go over the heads of straight people, some of whom watch the whole movie without catching on to the fact that Groff's character is gay (read the comments on YouTube and IMDb). Gays watching the film will figure that out from the bus ride at the beginning of the film and the way he responds to anti-gay slurs thoughtlessly tossed out by straight passengers. Even though there are so many un-likable characters in the story, it's kind of oddly beautiful to watch. I could watch this film many times.

After seeing this flick I was lost to it's message, but knowing there is a message to be had. I have never read the essay from which the story is taken ... so I'm seeing this movie through unveiled eyes.What I see is a young man whose background is built upon an upper class controlled academic life who has idealistically thrown himself into a world of lower class marginally educated street wise laborers, to fulfill a dream he and a girlfriend(?) have cooked up to help him escape a family conflict.David is an innocent, yet sure the world is very like his book knowledge. Almost from the start he discovers otherwise. He is described as cocky and arrogant - not so. He is self assured and unafraid to speak his mind as we see on the bus and then with the girl that has deceived him by backing out of 'their plan'. David sticks with it and encounters a world unlike any he has experienced in his polite society upbringing. Certainly being polite and charming will win friends! He finds himself a loner, no friends, not even able to communicate with the Hispanic laborers he must work with. When he does find people to be friends or rather friendly with, he discovers they only want to use him (packing house man) or are seriously mentally unstable (the wildly fundamental Christian).Director Alvarez has chosen to leave the plight of David open with the closing of this movie .... you can fill in the blanks! Notice the expression on David's face as he passes the camera walking alone on that country road .... he's made a decision!This is a very good movie!