Ode to Joy
IFC Films | Release Date: August 9, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
38
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
4
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Film ThreatAlan NgAug 8, 2019
Everyone has defined, and distinct characters and no one is phoning it in. Just sit back and enjoy this unique romantic comedy. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliAug 10, 2019
The film’s depiction of cataplexy is a reasonable representation considering how it’s being used (sufferers may understandably disagree). It’s too bad that so many of the screenplay’s other elements – like its treatment of basic human emotions – are badly mishandled. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comNick AllenAug 9, 2019
A plainly affable romantic comedy that’s not too powerful with its romance, and certainly not its comedy. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAug 8, 2019
Freeman, never the most animated of performers, gives his specific brand of passive British miserabilism free rein. But it’s Melissa Rauch, as Charlie’s safely dull, place-holder girlfriend, who steals the show. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckAug 8, 2019
Ode to Joy fails to live up to its title by attempting to wring comic mileage from a medical condition that sufferers probably don't find very funny. Read full review
30
VarietyTomris LafflyAug 9, 2019
Mostly known for his behind-the-camera TV credits on shows like “Modern Family” and “1600 Penn,” Winer doesn’t bring much finesse into the generic visuals of Ode to Joy. In fairness to him, no amount of directorial elegance could have saved the artificial beats of a narrative that fails to create believable sexual tension between its “romantic” leads and amounts only to an utterly shallow showdown between brothers with long-standing scores to settle. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayAug 8, 2019
The movie was inspired by a real person but nearly everything that happens here plays as phony. Read full review
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