Ode to Joy

"He's never been happier. And that's the problem."

2019 1h 37m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🥫

48%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 141🥫48%Rotten Tomatoes●38Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 6,951

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Charlie suffers from a serious disease that causes acute narcolepsy whenever he is happy. Although he develops a variety of techniques to deny himself pleasure and deal with his sleep issues, they’re put to the test when he falls in love.

“He's never been happier. And that's the problem.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Martin Freeman
Charlie
Morena Baccarin
Francesca
Jake Lacy
Cooper
Melissa Rauch
Bethany
Shannon Woodward
Liza
Ellis Rubin
Victor
Jane Curtin
Aunt Sylvia
Adam Shapiro
Marvin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jason Winer
Writers: Max Werner
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jason Winer, shot by David Robert Jones. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jeremy Turner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Teschner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Martin Freeman and Morena Baccarin and Jake Lacy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He's never been happier. And that's the problem.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt3009772 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jason Winer directs. David Robert Jones behind the camera. Jeremy Turner scores. Peter Teschner cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 7 years ago.
2Directed by Jason Winer, shot by David Robert Jones. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Jeremy Turner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Peter Teschner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Martin Freeman and Morena Baccarin and Jake Lacy carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "He's never been happier. And that's the problem.".
7IMDB entry: tt3009772 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 10 themes, including "breast cancer", "tough love", "troubled relationship", "librarian".

The technical file

Cinematography: David Robert Jones
Original score: Jeremy Turner
Editing: Peter Teschner
Production design: Lisa Myers
Costume design: Carisa Kelly
Makeup / hair: Jessie Eden
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $17,303
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Ode to Joy (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 48% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 38/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 6,951 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

2 wins total

Also by

Jason Winer

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Kamurai2021-01-12
★ 7/10
Really good watch, would watch again, and can recommend. The concept of living a life without "joy" is intriguing, but it doesn't feel like a very cinematic story as a concept. The movie takes great pains to try to compensate for this. I believe the casting definitely helped here. And sure I understand guys fainting at the thought of being with Morena Baccin, but I'm not about to kick Melissa Rauch out of bed either. Both ladies brought their abilities to the roles excellently. While the movie is fun, the motives are rather crossed and you're forced to try to think a bit more than you normally would as the story lends towards you thinking like he thinks to understand a bit better. Overall a great little love story though.

Production companies