38
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Film ThreatAlan NgFilm ThreatAlan NgEveryone has defined, and distinct characters and no one is phoning it in. Just sit back and enjoy this unique romantic comedy.
- 50The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisFreeman, 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.
- 50RogerEbert.comNick AllenRogerEbert.comNick AllenA plainly affable romantic comedy that’s not too powerful with its romance, and certainly not its comedy.
- 50ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe 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.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckOde 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.
- 30Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayThe movie was inspired by a real person but nearly everything that happens here plays as phony.
- 30VarietyTomris LafflyVarietyTomris LafflyMostly 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.