Starring Queen Latifa, Dolly Pardon, Keke Palmer, and Jeremy Jordan
Directed by Todd Graff
Music and Lyrics by various
The Singing Nun is hardly the only woman who found fame performing for the church. Our next movie gives us two ladies who turn a church choir competition into their own search for glory. For many smaller communities or depressed areas of larger cities, choirs like the ones depicted here and in the Sister Act films represent one of the residents' few links to self-expression and uplift in the midst of decay. How does one small Georgia town find uplift in its choir, even as the town falters in the economic downturn of the time? Let's begin with the choir from a church in Pacashau, Georgia, as they perform in the regional finals of the Joyful Noise choir contest, and find out...
The Story: When the long-time choir director Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson) dies, his widow G.G (Pardon) figures she'll step into his shoes. Instead, the church's pastor (Courtney B. Vance) hands the reigns to singer Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifa), who insists on continuing to use traditional songs and arrangements. G.G thinks her grandson Randy's (Jordan) arrangement of modern pop songs could be far more interesting. Randy also falls for Vi's rebellious teen daughter Olivia (Palmer), and teaches piano to her son Walter (Dexter Darden), whose Asperger's Syndrome keeps him from making friends.
Not only do Vi and G.G remain antagonistic over Randy's interest in Olivia and the use of non-religious music in a choir program, but the choir itself may lose funding. The church doesn't see the point of sending them to competitions when they always lose at the finals and refuses to allow using pop songs. G.G thinks they have a chance, if she can convince Vi that updating the songs is a good idea, and the traditional way of doing things isn't the only way. Olivia just wishes her mother would understand how she feels about Randy, but Vi never got over her father Marcus (Jesse L. Martin) joining the Army after he lost his job and walking out.
The Song and Dance: And it's really all about the song and dance here. The overly melodramatic story is augmented by some fabulous choir performances. Palmer, Pardon, and Queen Latifa all raise the roof with their uplifting pop and gospel numbers. The ladies pretty much dominate everything, whether Vi is trying to explain to Olivia why she's worried about her, or G.G's remembering the good times with Bernard. We also get some decent location shooting in and around rural Georgia that adds a lot more authenticity than the dull casting.
Favorite Number: We open with the choir in the regional finals, performing one of Pardon's own songs, "Not Enough." Bernard's directing them here, but even G.G can see he's not doing well. Our first number after his death is a sensational group version of the Michael Jackson hit "Man In the Mirror," with Olivia taking the solo. She and Randy do "Maybe I'm Amazed" to prove pop can work in a gospel setting.
Real-life gospel performer Kirk Franklin sings his "In Love" with a dynamic Detroit choir. Too dynamic, as Vi and the others realize they'd have to practice night and day seven days a week to be that good. Vi sings "Fix Me, Jesus" alone in the church, then imagines the choir singing along with her. Pardon's second new number is "From Here to the Moon and Back," which she performs in a sweet waltz with Kristofferson as G.G reminisces about her late husband.
"Mighty High" takes us into the actual finals in Los Angeles. "That's the Way God Planned It" is a lively routine performed by young Ivan Kelley Jr. and a group of pre-teen boys. Vi and G.G counter with a medley of rock and pop songs that brings everyone onstage, including "I Want to Take You Higher," "Yeah!," "Forever," and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." "He's Everything" is another Pardon song, as one of the choir members happily marries a man she met at the competition.
What I Don't Like: While not nearly as sweet as The Singing Nun, it has a major tone problem. It can't decide if it wants to be a musical Steel Magnolias or a less-goofy Sister Act 2. I actually found Walter and Randy's discussion of the challenges many people with mental health issues continue to face more interesting than the cliched relationship between Randy and Olivia. Conflict in this film is solved too easily, from how G.G is able to get sponsorship to Vi's sudden about-face on the matter of the music they use in the finale. There's also it being way too long. The heavy melodrama really drags down the middle of the film in particular and could have been trimmed with no one the wiser.
The Big Finale: Recommended mainly for the great music if you're a fan of gospel or either leading lady.
Home Media: Easily found on all formats.
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