Ode To Joy is a 2019 comedy about a man who suffers from cataplexy, a symptom of narcolepsy that causes sudden bouts of paralysis whenever he experiences strong emotions.
Being in and staying in love is not challenge enough for most Hollywood romantic comedies. There’s always got to be something a little extra on top to stir things up. Someone’s getting married but falls for the planner instead. The guy a woman loves ends up in a coma, but hey the brother is kinda cute. There’s cat lovers versus dog lovers. Short term memory loss. You name it. So it’s no surprise to see the premise of Jason Winer‘s latest entry in all this take a crack at the quirky as well, featuring a man who can’t experience joy. It’s an admittedly clever if not overtly metaphorical leap off the edge, and while it doesn’t really do much beyond circle the bases, it’s made fun by a couple of good spins from the cast, even if the theme feels like walking on eggshells.
Charlie (Martin Freeman) is in his early forties, alone, and looking for a partner, but a rather particular type. He needs a girl that can get right to the business of marriage and skip the more ceremonial celebrations. Why? Well, he’s got a lifelong disease labeled cataplexy, where any strong emotional fluctuations, with joy being the real trigger, knocking him out cold. He literally faints in the face of happiness. His younger brother, Cooper (Jake Lacy) does what he can to be helpful, but it’s truly put to the test when Charlie meets the spunky Francesca (Morena Baccarin), a woman he is exceedingly attracted to but fearful of, so pushes her on Cooper. Charlie hopes a relationship with the bland Bethany (Melissa Rauch), who is everything he needs, will do the trick, but can’t stop thinking of Francesca. What’s a guy to do?
It’s no doubt a unique take on the whole scared-to-fall-in-love theme with cataplexy a term not often finding its way into theaters. It’s a very feal condition, and there’s a tightrope the movie walks along in keeping it legit while having be source for a few laughs, something that no matter how it’s presented doesn’t quite sit right. The movie starts off with such a demonstration, where poor Charlie just about ruins his sister’s wedding, standing up on the altar for as long as he can before – timber – he’s out for the count, taking out the happy couple as he goes. Why is he there at all? Shouldn’t he be in a chair?
We later see him in his daily routines, walking the streets in his emotion suppressing gear, desperately trying to let the good things in life pass him by and you can’t help but wonder how people in real life must go about doing the same. It’s surely no laughing matter, but fortunately, this isn’t a gag-fill, slapstick poke at the condition despite the numerous scenarios it pops up as hurdles in the story. It’s all just a light and breezy romcom, the real meat and potatoes about finding your true self.
There’s a lot about this that could have been better explored while retaining its comedic sensibilities, however it all soon settles onto its tracks and feels mostly on autopilot as it steams toward the obvious. These are likable characters, especially the effervescent Francesca, who Baccarin gives plenty of heart. And it’s great to see Freeman work his patented style of awkward but loveable everyman in a romcom. It’s just too bad the movie itself doesn’t have the, well, joy, it needs to make all feel special. Recommended for romantics only.