Admittedly, there is nothing brilliantly creative about the script, which is why I gave it only 8 stars. The elevator story: a teenager trying to find, and assert, herself in the world and her family, who itself is struggling to remain commercially viable in an industry that's been devastated by commercialism and global warming. The wrinkle in the story is that the protagonist's parents and brother are all deaf. (CODA = Child of Deaf Adults.)
That's where ho-hum departs, and I have two things to say about it: First, this film deserves all the accolades and awards it's received. Second, this may the first time I've known a remake to exceed by far the original.
The acting from nearly everyone in the cast is unbelievably great. The production values are fantastic. The film is incredibly hilarious (thanks to brilliant performance by Troy Kotsur), and also, surprisingly emotional. In what could have been "just another meh coming-of-age story", Emilia Jones worked super hard to create a character that draws the audience in.
To Siân Heder's credit, everything about this production shines.