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The last 20 minutes of the overly earnest, melodramatic musical mishmash Joyful Noise try so hard to entertain and excite that they almost make up for the previous 98...almost. Indeed, had the rest of the misguided movie been as engaging and energetic as the mandatory choir sing-off finals, we'd have a song-filled sleeper on our hands. Instead, writer/director Todd Graff decides to use Hee Haw as a philosophical backdrop while cramming his already overstuffed narrative with more subplots than a low rent cemetery. The mammoth level of cornpone on display is equaled only by the unreality of Dolly Parton's plastic (surgery) fantastic facade. Frankly, gospel deserves better.
The story centers around the ongoing feud between the recently widowed GG Sparrow (Parton) and newly appointed choir director Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah). As their small Georgia town falls deeper into the economic recession destroying the rest of the country, the population hopes their community can win the annual Joyful Noise singing competition. Of course, Vi Rose -- and the church's prudish preacher (Courtney B. Vance) -- want to stick with tradition. Sparrow wants to mix in more "modern" material and thinks her musically gifted, if socially rebellious, grandson Randy (Jeremy Jordan) has the right combination of styles to pull it off. Naturally, Vi Rose's confused teenage daughter Olivia (Keke Palmer) takes an instant puppy love shine to the bad boy. Hokum and hi-jinx ensue.
Had it stuck to the trials and tribulations of a Podunk chorus trying to crack the big time, had it tossed aside all the ancillary plot points involving MIA husbands, adolescent rivalries, and post-coital "mishaps," Joyful Noise wouldn't be such a waste of time. There's the core of a competent rags-to-riches tale here, an amiable 'us vs. them' dynamic that shines beyond the superficial script and the painfully obvious performances. Of course, Graff has no desire to achieve subtlety. Instead, he is out to make a pandering crowd pleaser and, boy, does he ever kowtow. If this movie were any more audience-friendly it would be handing out free massages and tumblers of sweet tea. Everything is geared toward a short sitcom attention span. One moment, Parton and Latifah are playing nice. The next, they're having a crazy cat fight (complete with Southern diner fare) in order to resolve their differences.And then there is the music. Instead of going back to the Big Book of Great Gospel Tunes, Graff and company give way to pure pop nonsense. Thus we get a reading of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" as some kind of statement on faith. Later on, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, and T.Pain all get the requisite reimagining love. Sure, something like Darlene Zschech's "Shout to the Lord" may be a bit too flagrant, but no more than the rest of this maddening movie. We want to see spirituality championed, love of God and family loyalty used to trump adversity and the ever-present villains on the other side of the competition. Instead, the main rivals (fronted by the always amusing Kirk Franklin) are quickly ushered off screen for an even more shameless troupe for our heroes to take on.
As long as the voices bellow and the countrified cliches keep coming (everything Parton says sounds like an outtake from a Junior Samples comedy LP), Joyful Noise will keep its diverse demographic happy. Had someone like Tyler Perry taken on this material, it would soar. It would also stay very true to its calm Christian virtues. In fact, this uninspired entry may make viewers long for the drag days of Madea and her corporeal punishment school of sacred slapstick. In the hands of Mr. Graff, it's groan-inducing.
