James is a successful comedy writer. He has a good career, nice friends, a cute car and an even cuter girlfriend. Things are going great. There is only one small problem, he lives in Johannesburg and is gradually completely losing his sense of humour.
Crime, politics, pessimism, potholes and feather duster salesmen have invaded every cell of his body causing him to lose the very spark of humour which enables him to earn his living. He has lost his ability to connect to his fellow man. He is unable to see the positive and drowns in a sea of negativity. He has other problems too, his girlfriend his drifting away, his entire family has moved to Australia and his work is starting to suck.
James turns to a bizarre concoction of drugs to try and lift himself out of his malaise. This only makes matters worse and after throwing his producer’s computer out the window his friends organize an intervention. They persuade him to spend some time in the notorious Daspoort rehabilitation centre.
At Daspoort James is plunged into a kind of madness that he has never before experienced. He falls under the control of the messianic Reverend Andries Vermuelen. James is caught in a web of prayer, prayer and more prayer, walking the reverends pit bulls and therapeutic sessions with the in house therapist Dr Van Blerk a man whose entire therapeutic advice is dispensed in 60’s song lyrics. James plots escape with his only ally an incredibly friendly Dope head from Cape Town called Martin. After an inspired escape plan masterminded by Martin James finally escapes from Daspoort pursued by Vermuelen and his pitbulls. He manages to hitchhike a ride back to Johannesburg.
James must now return to Johannesburg, the city which destroyed him and try to regain his career, his life, his girlfriend and his ability to laugh.
Upon his return he finds his girlfriend has moved win with his nemesis, Carl, the most boring man in the world.
He swears that he will get her back. Carl tells him to stop swearing and get lost. Broke, and with nowhere to live, James starts squatting in his parent’s old house which is up for sale. His presence in the house causes endless problems with the estate agent Barbara. This also brings James in conflict with his parents in Australia
who pressurize him to leave South Africa, almost as if the entire country might explode. James, however, wants to stay in South Africa, and wants to try and find himself in the chaos of Johannesburg.
James desperately tries to find some work in an industry where his name is synonymous with mud. It proves almost impossible. He finally gets a job writing a rainbow nation sitcom under the guidance of the ruthless workaholic producer Thembi. It’s laughs per minute that Thembi is after and James’s sense of humour failure is not allowing this. Pressure starts to pile up. James starts developing a bizarre relationship with the sitcom characters he is trying to write. They start talking to him and he talks back. Things couldn’t get much worse
when Martin, the friendly dope head from rehab, arrives at his front door looking for a place to stay.
In the maddest of madcap journey James must travel through the highways and byways of Johannesburg to try and find his elusive sense of humour as well as his ability to love and laugh again. James meets the enchanting Brenda who helps him see his city in a new way.
Although Jozi is a screamingly funny comedy it has a very clear philosophy. It is about finding the positive in difficult times. Allowing yourself to make connections with the people and the place you live. Being defined by the positive experiences not the negative ones. And most of all learning to laugh, laugh and laugh.
The film reveals the beauty and uniqueness of Johannesburg, South Africa.