Joyful Noise

I might be a liturgical Anglican at heart, but I am a sucker for a gospel choir. The full-throated harmonies, the hand-clapping, the robes. We will not talk about the years during which I could frequently be found singing and dancing along to the Sister Act soundtracks in my room, because that would be embarrassing. But trust me when I say that I was eagerly anticipating Joyful Noise, featuring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton as Vi Rose Hill and G. G. Sparrow, respectively, both vying for control of a small-town church choir as it competes for national recognition.

Unfortunately, Joyful Noise does gospel choirs no favors with its superficial depiction of the faith that is ostensibly the wellspring of this passionate music. But as a former AWANA Olympian, I know that we Christians can make a contest out of just about anything. At their best, these gospel competitions are celebrations of excellence—and sometimes you just have to roll with it. But I still cringed when in a climactic scene Vi Rose vigorously exhorts a drowsy crowd that God is worthy to be praised in an effort to get them clapping and improve the choir's chances of winning. That's just awkward. Can I get an amen?

Queen Latifah as Vi Rose

But the singing competition is actually just a backdrop to the real competition between G. G. and Vi Rose. When G. G.'s choirmaster husband Bernard (Kris Kristofferson) dies suddenly during the annual Joyful Noise showcase, the church board promotes his second in command, Vi Rose, much to the chagrin of the widow. As a wealthy patron of the church, G. G. isn't afraid to throw her weight around a little bit, but stops short of blackmail. Mostly. The bottom line is that conservative Vi Rose and flashy G. G. just don't like each other on principle. And so neither is happy when G. G.'s bad boy grandson Randy (Jeremy Jordan) comes to town and takes an immediate shine to Vi Rose's 16-year-old daughter Olivia (KeKe Palmer). Olivia is a goody-two-shoes and she'll stay that way if Vi Rose has anything to say about it. And she does have things to say about it, of course.

Dolly Parton as G. G.

But Randy manages to ingratiate himself to Vi Rose by offering to teach her son Walter (Dexter Darden, looking mostly like a young Stevie Wonder), who has Asperger syndrome, how to play piano. Darden is unconvincing in the role, never so much as when offering lines like, "I just wish I could be normal." And Joyful Noise is about as subtle and nuanced as Dolly Parton's now much-altered face. Thankfully, she has a sense of humor about it. "God didn't make plastic surgeons so they could starve," she jibes.

Randy also works his way into the church choir, where Olivia is a featured performer and tension exists between Vi Rose's old-fashioned instincts about proper gospel music and the group's desire to mix it up with more contemporary sounds in a bid to actually win a contest. You know where this is going. Back to the Joyful Noise competition showcase with a new sound and a new attitude.

Keke Palmer as Olivia

But on the way there, Joyful Noise the movie meanders through a broken marriage, racial and economic tensions in small-town Georgia, and sexual frustration (including a post-coital death that's played for laughs). Some of it is confusing (why did he leave, again?), most of it is unconvincing (the economically depressed town of Pacashau, Georgia had all of its hopes riding on the success of the Pacashau Sacred Divinity Choir, really?). And through it all, Vi Rose and G. G. trade barbs that eventually explode into a brawl at a local restaurant where Vi Rose is holding down a second job in addition to her work as a nurse.

Meanwhile Olivia becomes increasingly petulant under the influence of Randy. "Do you want to be a church girl for the rest of your life? There's so much more to you than that," he says as he leads her onto the dance floor for a little bumping and grinding. Parents everywhere shudder in unison. But keep the faith. Fully one star of my rating is due to the verbal spanking Vi Rose gives her sulky child when Olivia accuses Vi Rose of hating her because she's beautiful and Vi Rose is not. Oh, no she didn't! Vi Rose goes off on a tirade about respecting yourself and others, and I wanted to stand up and applaud.

Jeremy Jordan as Randy

But when Vi Rose and G. G. both encourage and approve of Olivia putting on some makeup and a dress that shows off her body in order to get Randy's attention after a fight, to make him see she that she is a "woman," I wanted to throw something at the screen.

The music in Joyful Noise is energetic, mostly gospel glosses on pop music. Fans of Glee will appreciate the underdog vocal performance group angle. But in my estimation the dialogue, music, and morals of the story are a long way from the comedic and heartfelt amalgam that made Sister Act a class act.

Talk About It

1. What would you do with the group if you were choir director?
2. Do you think Vi Rose was too strict with her kids? Why or why not?
3. What role does music play in your own experience of worshiping God?

The Family Corner

Joyful Noise is rated PG-13 for some language including a sexual reference. The sexual morals are mixed at best. The sexual frustration of at least one member of the choir is a theme throughout the movie, and includes the death of her paramour the night after they sleep together. The commentary on the episode brushes aside any concern about the fact the couple wasn't married. Randy chides Olivia for being a church girl and pushes her to loosen up. More disconcertingly, Olivia is encouraged by her mother and G. G. to wear makeup and a low-cut dress to appeal to Randy—and this after Olivia's mother had given her a lecture about respecting herself.

Photos © Warner Bros.

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