SUNDANCE 2021 | "CODA" Follows Formula, But Feels Good Anyway

8/12 ForReel Score | 3/5 stars

In CODA, a teenage girl named Ruby (Emilia Jones, Locke & Key) struggles to balance her personal life and her life at home with her mom Jackie (Marlee Matlin, Quantico, Limetown), her dad Frank (Troy Kotsur), and her older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) who are all deaf. Fluent in verbal communication and American Sign Language, Ruby’s family relies on her to help operate their struggling fishing business for a living.

But the pressure leads to conflict when Ruby’s choir instructor Bernardo (Eugenio Derbez, Overboard) identifies her singing talent and begins training for a duet and a shot at attending Berklee College of Music. Eventually she has to make a choice between staying home and being her family’s translator indefinitely, or pursuing her dreams to be a singer.

There is an undeniable feel-good nature to CODA. The film’s cast has chemistry and charisma to spare, even with - and perhaps especially because of - many of their non-verbal expressions of communication and emotion. What’s more, when the narrative aims for comedy, these moments hit their target with many jokes and comedic situations that are hard not to laugh-out-loud at.

Midway through the film however, the entertainment value flounders as the narrative transitions from comedy to drama in an steadfast effort to maintain the typical beats of the coming-of-age and family drama genres. Additionally, it is unfortunate that CODA avoids embracing the incredible comedy/musical it could’ve been. When singing is involved, CODA brims with glimmers of Sing Street, and not just because of the presence of Sing Street lead Ferdia Walsh-Peelo. Emilia Jones demonstrates stunning vocal talent and charming charisma. And while she’s given select times to shine, a less restrained version of her character could’ve made for a showstopping performance for Jones.

Regardless, the cons of CODA don’t take away from the pros. I laughed. I teared up. And in the end, I felt good. The film has a likable quality to it and feels like a movie that can appeal to a wide audience. So while it isn’t quite as triumphant as I had hoped, CODA is still certainly delightful to experience.

Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 1 | Story and Message - 1 | Entertainment Value - 1 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer's Preference - 2 | What does this mean?