The larger-than-life personalities of Oscar nominees Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah help to buoy Joyful Noise, a lightweight comedy-musical about two strong-minded women who clash over the direction of a small-town church choir. The friction is set in motion by a surprisingly callous bit of business, in which Parton is informed by her pastor (Courtney B. Vance) that the church board has planned to deny her the position of church choir director, recently vacated by the death of her husband (Kris Kristofferson), in favor of Latifah. Never mind that the announcement is made at Kristofferson’s funeral service, where one might assume that even a woman with such inordinate spunk as Parton might be in a state of grief; it’s one of never-mind-the-details-let’s-get-to-the-singing decision that writer-director Todd Graff (Bandslam) makes throughout the picture, which renders much of the film’s many dramatic elements somewhat facile. And there are quite a few elements from which to choose, including a romance between Parton’s cocky grandson (Jeremy Jordan) and Latifah’s daughter (Keke Palmer), Latifah’s Asperger’s-afflicted son, or any of the genuinely silly issues involving the choir members. Joyful Noise is ultimately a mess of loosely connected elements that viewers are asked to accept in a particularly haphazard arrangement, but for many, the storyline will be a tolerable bridge between musical numbers, which admittedly are the film’s strongest selling point. Thankfully, these are in good hands, with veteran producer-composer Mervyn Warren (The Preacher’s Wife) handling the score and gospel powerhouse Kirk Franklin in the cast, and both Parton and Latifah get to display their formidable vocal talents. But it’s a long and largely tiresome slog to these moments, which may have viewers making frequent use of their player’s fast-forward button. Extras on the Joyful Noise Blu-ray are also fairly slim, with talking-head interviews with Graff and his stars balanced by extended musical numbers and a live clip of the cast and singers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. –Paul Gaita
JOYFUL NOISE (RENTAL)
Pinned on March 18, 2013 at 6:49 pm by Reginald Wells
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Starting 2012 off right!! This movie was so inspiring that I went out and bought the soundtrack and told all my friends and acquaintances about it. We need more movies like this !! The message was inspiring and the music awesome!! If you love gospel music , you’ll love this movie. It brought back memories of when I used to sing in a choir and made me want to join again.
Awesome Movie of Music!!! This movie was awesome! I enjoyed every minute of it! I loved the music, the story line, and Dolly’s and Queen Latifah’s feud during the movie! It has a cute, sweet ending and it had me wanting more! I immediately went out and bought the soundtrack and it hasn’t left my car! I can’t wait till the Blue Ray/DVD release so I can add it too my collection! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!