Director: Todd Graff
Starring: Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan, Dexter Darden
Running Time: 113 minutes
Certificate: PG
Extras: Leading Ladies, Make Some Noise
Hands up who likes Jesus; keep them up if you like inspirational stories. For those with your hands in the air put them down and pop to your local video store for a copy of JOYFUL NOISE which fits both criteria.
Set in a small, impoverished Georgia town it focuses on a gospel choir set for the regional finals of the Joyful Noise Contest, who hit trouble when choir leader Bernard Sparrow (Kristofferson in the shortest cameo you’ll ever see) passes away and is replaced by Vi Hill (Latifah), much to the chagrin of Bernard’s wife G.G. (Parton). Difficulties and clashes ensue before the inevitable, heartwarming, rousing finale.
JOYFUL NOISE is a story of acceptance, faith, and respect. Director-writer Todd Graff has crafted an unspectacular but painless film that laysit on a bit thick at times, but never instills the nausea or homicidal thoughts that many films of this ilk conjure up. The songs are catchy enough but go on a bit, and the supporting characters each do their jobs: the struggling businessman down on his luck inspired by the choir, the comic relief, and of course the bad boy done good. There is even room for some doubt in God’s work, which is welcome in the favour of balance – even if it is only brief. The dialogue is horrible in places and so there’s little sense of drama, and some of the acting – from Jordan in particular – is bordering laughable, but JOYFUL NOISE is still a lot more fun than it should be. Your enjoyment will depend on tolerance for the God talk and worship – Christianss should have a good time, Agnostic’s will remain undecided, and Atheist’s won’t believe what they are hearing. Some things never change.
Extras: At 4 and a half minutes in total the two featurettes are about as detailed as Dolly Parton’s top lip (that’s a joke about botox).
JOYFUL NOISE is available on DVD + U/V Copy now
