Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.

Nobody likes hypocrites - unless, of course, they make good fodder for laughs, as is the case in this sidesplitting new comedy from writer-director Adamma Ebo. The target here is the hypocrisy often present in the bluster-filled fundamentalist megachurches, whose elaborate Sunday services play like big-budget Broadway productions and for which their pastors ask their congregations to fork over wads of cash - all in exchange for allegedly saved souls and their leaders' ability to live lives of grossly ostentatious affluence. Invariably, though, these schemes come with a catch in which their two-faced preachers get caught in career-ruining scandals that expose just how hypocritical and corrupt they really are. Such is what happens in this mockumentary-style offering about a once-big time Atlanta pastor and his "first lady" as they attempt to rebound from a fall from grace that rings all too familiar in the evangelist community. Filmmaker Ebo's debut feature pulls no punches in the picture's critically biting humor and in its periodic forays into dramatic material, moves meant to draw attention to the innate insincerity of its protagonists (and some of its parishioners). In doing so, the film straddles a fine line between comedy and drama, presenting a carefully concocted mix that works much of the time but occasionally becomes a little too heavy-handed for its own good. Nevertheless, "Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul." makes an impact with its fine performances by Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall, as well as its wickedly delicious wit and ample sight gags, elements that will have viewers delightfully giggling with glee. This one might not have you on your knees, but you might easily fall over laughing.

It wasn't a bad film but I was left wanting more from it. Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall did absolutely fantastic in this film. They carried the film tremendously and keep the film interesting throughout. But I feel like the film just didn't know what it wanted to be. On one hand it was a comedy and the other it felt like a drama. Both could have worked alone and maybe together, but it didn't with this film to me. It could've been because walking into the film I thought it was going to be like What We Do In Thr Shadows or The Office but it wasn't. Overall it was a film with fantastic acting and a great concept but to me it had trouble finding out what it wanted to be and how to tell its story.

Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

"Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul" is directed by Sisters Adamma Ebo and Adanne Ebo which is the story about in an aftermath of a huge scandal, Trinitie Childs, the first lady of a prominent Southern Baptist Mega Church, attempts to help her pastor-husband, Lee-Curtis Childs, rebuild their congregation. The Ebo sisters had previously made a short film also called Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul. This movie relies on religious satire and humor about the church system involved with the black communities. All the performances were great especially Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown sells the entire movie. The presentation of a mockumentary style fits perfectly to the tone and presentation. There are some really good camerawork throughout the entire movie but the decision to keep changing the aspect ratio gets annoying the time and time it goes on. Aspect ratio changes during the movie is alright if they serve a purpose but this movie doesn't have a purpose to keep changing it's aspect ratio.

Many of the jokes and references about religion, church, politics, and such are seemingly big misses and it didn't land well with the story as much. The story is unfortunately the most bland and basic story that a satire could choose and because of the bland narrative, it doesn't really feel like a satire but more of a bland comedy. I am not religious but I think maybe if I was religious, I probably would like the movie more. None of the characters are as engaging as I hoped for. Everyone felt like paper cuts from a basic book you find in high school that is hidden away from the public.

The Ebo Sisters definitely have talent but honestly, I prefer the short film version they did.

Rating: C+

Set in Atlanta, Georgia, a husband and wife team of pastors consisting of Lee-Curtis (Sterling K. Brown) and Trinitie Childs (Regina Hall) operate the Wander to Greater Paths Baptist megachurch which has brought them great wealth and fame and at their apex had 25,000 congregants. Following allegations of sexual behavior done by Lee-Curtis, the church has been temporarily closed as the Childs have tried to ride out the fallout and settle with the accusers. The Childs enlists the aid of a documentary crew to follow them around as they attempt to revitalize the church and Lee-Curtis' image, however a rising star Baptist church, Heaven's House run by Shakura (Nicole Beharie) and Keon Sumpter (Conphidance) is positioned for a major opening the same day as Wander to Greater Paths' reopening.

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul is the feature deubt of Adamma Ebo whose previous credits are short films. The movie is an adaptation of her 2018 short film of the same name following the same plot, but is now given a major remake with behind the scenes support from Daniel Kaluuya and Jordan Peele who are executive producers as their companies 59% Productions and Monkeypaw Productions are listed producers on the film. Debuting simultaneously in theaters and Universal's Peacock streaming service, I wasn't all that sure what to expect of the film but was mildly intrigued by the premise having watched the original short film prior to my viewing. Unfortunately what was good material for a short film struggles to be substantive enough to justify a 100 minute runtime.

Assuming you've seen the original short film, the film follows many of the major plot and comedic beats that were present in the original short albeit remixed ever so slightly so some may happen sooner or later in relation to others as to not make this a complete 1:1. With a greatly expanded budget from what Ebo worked with on the original short she does get a little more ambitious such as playing with the aspect ratio and using 4:3 footage that's been mocked up to look like a megachurch telecast, and we're also given a greater view of the opulence and excess in which the Childs live with both the Childs espousing empty religious platitudes whilst showing off their expensive fashions, foreign luxury cars, and elaborate mansion that runs counter to many of their biblical teachings in some solid enough satire even if the two sitting on gilded thrones as seen on the poster maybe throws a little too much subtlety out the window.

However despite us getting to see more of Lee-Childs and Trinitie than we did in the short we never really learn much more about them than we did in the short with many of the scenes that have been added more or less variations on the same point and additions like the Childs five remaining parishioners or the sub-plot of a rival Baptist church stealing their congregation don't really add much. The movie kind of keeps the mockumentary format used in the short as the setup and premise is more or less the same between both, but in a rather strange decision the Mockumentary format isn't consistently applied and there are many scenes where no cameras are present and they're presented as a straight forward narrative which breaks the verisimilitude of the presentation, not that the format is used all that well as the key comic bits used in the short are all revisited and while they were funny in mockumentary format, when they're presented in straightforward narrative style it makes gags that were awkwardly funny too self-aware with usage of non-diegetic sound and that robs a few scenes of the comic punch they once had. The movie also strangely tries to make Trinite and Lee-Curtis more sympathetic than they were in the original short down to removing the original context in the short that the act in question was with a minor and I'm honestly not sure why Ebo did this because it places the Childs in this weird gray zone where they're not hateful enough to be laughed at but they're also too unlikable to be seen as underdogs making the whole thing come off pretty depressing.

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul unfortunately is not a good debut for Adamma Ebo and if you are curious in seeing this film I recommend just watching the original short as it contains the best parts in the movie anyway. I think Ebo has promise as a filmmaker and the movie is competently made, but perhaps she needs a co-writer to help her flesh out her ideas in the future.

I expected it to be funny or thought provoking. There were moments that it was. Is it about a marriage, the church, religion exploitation, sex abuse? I dont know. Not very satisfying to watch mostly.

The tone was also inconsistent for me. At times quirky, ridiculous, at times serious, but not a point that defined the film.

The documentary style was good at first, but later it became gimmicky.

The thing that saved it for me was the performance of the two lead. Regina Hall was great and Sterling K Brown gave a very convincing performance as a self centered, egotistic, but charismatic pastor. Those who go to church might recognize the type.