Starring Martin Freeman, Morena Bacarrin, Jake Lacy and Melissa Rauch, I laughed several times during Jason Winer’s latest comedy, Ode To Joy. In fact, thanks to a number of fresh jokes I didn’t quite see coming, I can say that Ode To Joy is responsible for some of my most memorable funny movie moments of 2019.
At the heart of the story is Charlie (Freeman), a man who experiences sudden paralysis every time he feels strong emotions – mainly joy. Having developed several techniques for avoiding too much happiness and pleasure over time, things of course get quite complicated for Charlie when he falls in love.
Much of the good comedy in Ode To Joy happens as we learn about the uniqueness of Charlie’s experience of living with his condition, and this is when the film shines most for me. As such, I admit that I found myself wishing that the balance had shifted more in favour of comedy than it did. Especially since when I wasn’t laughing, I was noticing the cliches, imperfections and moments when the suspension of my disbelief was failing.
Overall, I’m still happy I watched Ode To Joy because of the humour mostly, but also because of the unexpected revelation that occurred to me as the movie played. In other words, the fact that there are many joy inducing moments (or in Charlie’s case ‘traps’) out there in the world as we go about our day; if we just pay attention.
Other joy inducing moments I experienced courtesy of Ode To Joy include Baccarin’s character’s relationship with her aunt, Charlie’s connection with his brother and last but not least, the clip hidden in the middle of the credits. at the end. You’ll miss it if you stop too soon once the movie ends, so don’t.
Watch Ode To Joy. You too may find it, though not perfect but quite refreshing and funny in parts.
Happy Film Loving
G
