Remembering Catherine O'Hara: How a 2012 indie comedy brought the ‘Home Alone’ star to Atlanta

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(L-R) Actresses Jessica Alba, Catherine O'Hara, and Amy Poehler pose for a portrait during the 2013 Sundance Film Festival at the WireImage Portrait Studio at Village At The Lift on January 23, 2013 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Jeff Vespa/WireImage)

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ATLANTA - Catherine O’Hara’s life and legacy are being celebrated. The 71-year-old actress, known for her numerous comedic roles, was rooted in Toronto and Los Angeles, but the icon left a distinct, if brief, footprint across the metro Atlanta area during the spring of 2012.

SEE ALSO: Catherine O'Hara, 'Home Alone' and 'Schitt's Creek' star, dies at 71

What is A.C.O.D.?

Big picture view:

The plot of the 2013 comedy "A.C.O.D." serves as a satirical examination of "Adult Children of Divorce" culture, featuring the late O’Hara as a catalyst for a chaotic family reunion staged across the metro area. In the film, O’Hara portrays Melissa, the acerbic and self-absorbed mother of Carter, a local restaurateur played by Adam Scott. The narrative centers on Carter’s decades-long effort to maintain a "buffer zone" between Melissa and his father, Hugh (Richard Jenkins), following a contentious divorce 20 years prior.

SEE ALSO: Macaulay Culkin reacts to Catherine O’Hara’s death: ‘I love you’

In the film, O’Hara portrays Melissa, the acerbic and self-absorbed mother of Carter, a local restaurateur played by Adam Scott. The narrative centers on Carter’s decades-long effort to maintain a "buffer zone" between Melissa and his father, Hugh, played by Richard Jenkins, following a highly contentious divorce 20 years prior.

The film’s conflict is set in motion by the upcoming wedding of Carter’s younger brother. Tasked with brokering a peace treaty between his parents, Carter organizes a series of meetings at various Atlanta landmarks, including the Atlanta Botanical Garden and No. 246 in Decatur, hoping to ensure the ceremony can proceed without incident.

The Atlanta backdrop

Local perspective:

O'Hara's performance is anchored in several high-profile Atlanta settings that mirror the film's themes of upper-middle-class social friction:

The production established a central hub in Decatur at No. 246 on Ponce de Leon Avenue. From March 25 to March 30, 2012, the Italian restaurant was transformed into a primary set for the film. O'Hara, portraying the mother of a character played by Adam Scott, filmed several pivotal family confrontation scenes within the restaurant’s industrial-chic interior.

O’Hara spent several days filming in the Japanese Garden and Rose Garden sections of the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Unlike typical b-roll footage, these locations were used for extensive dialogue scenes.

The production also utilized Table 1280, the former restaurant at the Woodruff Arts Center. This Midtown location served as the setting for the film’s signature "tense family dinner," a sequence that local set-watchers at the time noted for O'Hara's characteristic improvisational energy.

SEE ALSO: Catherine O'Hara's death prompts shock, grief across social media

In early April 2012, the production moved to Buckhead, filming scenes at Brown & Company Jewelers on Peachtree Road. These segments featured O’Hara’s character’s on-screen ex-husband, Richard Jenkins, and son, Adam Scott.

The shoot originally kicked off on March 12 in the Castleberry Hill district, where a local loft was used as a primary residence for the film. The cast was frequently spotted navigating the historic neighborhood during the initial weeks of production.

The outer limit of O'Hara’s Georgia travels occurred in early April 2012, when the crew moved to the Lake Lanier and Gainesville areas. These exterior lakeside shots provided the coastal-style atmosphere required for the film's later acts.

While O’Hara’s time in the city was limited to this single production window, her presence in these specific neighborhoods remains a point of pride for Atlanta’s film community.