Acidman (2023) – Review/ Summary (with Spoilers)

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While a slow movie to start, as Maggie starts to be honest and Lloyd opens up, it becomes a beautiful father/ daughter story.

Director(s)	Alex Lehmann
Screenplay By	Chris Dowling, Alex Lehmann
Date Released (Video On Demand)	March 31, 2023
Genre(s)	Drama
Duration	1 Hour 27 Minutes
Content Rating	Not Rated
Noted Cast
Maggie	Dianna Agron
Lloyd	Thomas Haden Church

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Film Summary

Maggie is going through a hard time right now. She’s married and should be happy, yet a part of her wants to run away. So, giving in to this feeling, she runs away to where her elusive dad is and tries to reconnect with him. Maybe, since he ran from his own family, she’ll understand herself by getting to understand him. But, the years haven’t necessarily been kind to Lloyd. Once an engineer with a certain level of brilliance, he now spends most of his day trying to figure out a way to communicate with what he believes are aliens. And when he isn’t doing that, he just stares off, like a robot that had the pause button hit on him.

All of this worries Maggie, sometimes to the point of finding it difficult to be involved while not supporting some of his dangerous ideas. But, with being unable to deny their past and current connection, both parties work on trying to figure out a way to reconcile.

Things To Note

Why Is “Acidman” Rated Not Rated?

• Dialog: Cursing throughout, but not gratuitously
• Violence: Attack On A Dog
• Sexual Content: None
• Miscellaneous: Smoking

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Why was he called “Acidman?”

Collected Quote(s)

• Big act of faith, having kids. — Maggie

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Maggie

At one time, Maggie didn’t have the perfect, but she did have a secure life. She had a mom, a dad, a brother, was loved, and then her dad went away when he thought he wasn’t needed anymore. That left a mark on her, and even though she is married now, she is getting the urges her father did and questions whether she might be just like her dad.

• You May Also Know The Actor From Being: Quinn Fabray in “Glee,” Ella Patel in “Clock,” and Kim in “Shiva Baby.”

Lloyd

An engineer by trade, but having long become a recluse, he probably hasn’t held a job in years. Why? Well, he pools all his time and resources into talking to what he believes are aliens. Making it so, even in the case of his kids, they didn’t know where he was, what he was doing, or if he was even alive.

• You May Also Know The Actor From Being: Sandman in the Spiderman franchise, Jack in “Sideways,” and Agent Stone in “Twisted Metal.”

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Highlights

The Reconciliation Of a Father And Daughter Without Their Past Being Overtly Dramatic

When it comes to “Acidman,” as much as Maggie is dealing with feelings of abandonment and insecurity, this isn’t yelling at-each-other and grandeur monologues movie. With their shared history, there is almost the feeling that both are walking on eggshells. For Lloyd, who has long grown accustomed to being alone, there is a push and pull between wanting to let Maggie in, to have her learn about the aliens, and all he has been trying to do to communicate with them, but he wants none of the judgement. To call him, or any part of what he is doing, “crazy” would be too grand of an attack to recover from.

Then with Maggie, it isn’t clear whether she has friends or is close to her mom or brother, but you can tell there is a longing and a bind that makes her feel connected to her dad, even if he has abandoned her. So while he tries to keep her at arm’s length, and she disagrees with how he lives his life, she pushes through their disagreements and searches for that man she loved so deeply as a kid.

The combination leads to a movie that allows for a slow and steady recovery of a relationship with deep-rooted pain.

On The Fence

It Takes A Bit To Warm Up

“Acidman” is a slow movie to start. Lloyd and Maggie have their walls up, and even as Lloyd opens up about potentially communicating with aliens, the film doesn’t pick up the pace. But, as Lloyd pushes Maggie to reveal while she is there, beyond her being worried about him, then things pick up. We get to learn about their relationship and why she is really there, and while the alien thing never goes away, it becomes less of a distraction from the heart of the film.

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