Martin Freeman literally (and repeatedly) falls head-over-heels in love with Deadpool actress Morena Baccarin in EW’s exclusive trailer for the upcoming romantic comedy Ode to Joy.
The Black Panther star leads the film as Charlie, a hopeless fortysomething with a rare condition called cataplexy, which causes him to faint when he feels strong emotions — “mainly joy,” he explains in the new preview (above).
“Being in a relationship is about being happy,” Charlie continues between scenes that show him passing out at a wedding and nearly hitting concrete after winning a game of racquetball. “I can’t do that.”
Cue his unexpected meeting with Francesca (Baccarin), the most beautiful, free-spirited woman he’s ever seen. Naturally, he falls in love with her charm and spirit, but, realizing he can’t spend the entirety of a relationship unconscious, instead sets her up with his brother, Cooper (Jake Lacy).
Things get messy when Francesca and Charlie repress their respective feelings while seeing other people they’re (less) interested in, and the film seemingly charts a bumpy course toward their blissful reunion.
“You’ve gotta stick your neck out sometime. Life will pass you right by,” a friend tells Charlie, while Francesca’s Aunt Lydia (Jane Curtin) encourages her to reconnect with her tormented almost-beaux: “You can’t keep yourself from loving someone just because you’re afraid you’re going to lose them.”
Ode to Joy — directed by Modern Family producer Jason Winer and also starring Melissa Rauch and Shannon Woodward — is in theaters on Aug. 9, the same day it hits VOD and digital platforms. Watch the new trailer above.
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