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Go see it!
A plainly affable romantic comedy that’s not too powerful with its romance, and certainly not its comedy.
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.
The movie was inspired by a real person but nearly everything that happens here plays as phony.