Alcon Entertainment, Farrell Paura Productions, Gospel Truth Pictures,
Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan, Kris Kristofferson, Jesse L. Martin, Courtney B. Vance, Dexter Darden
In a very small Georgia town, a choir is performing in a Praise music contest. Suddenly their director, Bernard Sparrow, takes ill. We learn that he was the beloved choir director, but as he has suddenly passed away, the pastor wants the choir to continue. The board chooses Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah) who is always at wits end with the major benefactor and rich lady of the congregation, Bernard’s wife, G.G> Sparrow (Dolly Parton). This sets of a battle between these two. Vi Rose has a very beautiful 16 year old daughter who is one of the best voices in the choir, Olivia Hill (Keke Palmer). G.G. has a young grandson, Randy (Jeremy Jordan) who has arrived to live with her with a reputation as a troubled teen, but he is also a good musician. As the choir prepares for the competition, a Romeo and Juliet love affair begins between Olivia and Randy which everyone wants to nip in the bud.
This new film is about gospel music, but it’s not really about pushing Christianity. In fact, these folks seem about as worldly as the rest of us, except that they really love to sing. Obviously there is a lot of conflict, and the film is full of colorful characters. It’s really funny, but the humor is very pg-13. This is really a fun movie, and it’s good fun. It’s down home Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres kind of humor, but there are some things that stand out as NOT an issue. Although the congregation is half black and half white, there is no real mention of race anywhere. The movie is color blind, and what color a person is has no meaning to the story. Kudos for that! Also, there is a lot of bickering and fighting, but it’s all done with love and caring. It’s standard family and friend type fights, but nobody goes over the line to meanness. There are also several side stories going on that adds a lot to the movie. But most of all, the music is really special! Not since Sister Act, has a movie about gospel singing contained so many great musical numbers. It’s one of the most outstanding features of the film. The performance at the national finals is well worth the price of admission by itself.
It’s a good-hearted movie that has a lot of warmth and humor, and good lessons. It’s not deep or thought provoking. It’s just good old fashioned entertainment. I think they did a wonderful job, and I hope people will take time out from their busy lives, and relax and enjoy this for a real different change of pace.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
