Joyful Noise

I originally had no interest in seeing it. The reviews were bad, the trailer looked just 'ok'. But a friend of mine wanted to see it and asked me to come along. Why not?

I'm glad I went. It was very enjoyable. It's not a masterpiece, but is a light hearted feel good movie featuring some very talented singers. Although the plot was relatively simple, it worked well and was easy to follow. The relationship with Queen Latifah's character and her family was touching and emotional. I found myself tapping my feet to the music and wiping away tears at the end.

So when I looked it up on IMDb and saw a 3.4, I was quite confused. I thought it would be in the 6,7 range. I don't understand.

If your looking for a fun enjoyable movie, see this. Ignore the rating and reviews. Guaranteed to leave with a smile on your face.

I went with friends to see JOYFUL NOISE, the film starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton. What can I say about it?

Predictable? Yep.

Formulaic? For the most part.

Manipulative? Definitely! One particular segment had me sobbing in my seat.

But the music rocked. The film also had unexpected flashes of humor that were laugh-out-loud funny. Though it wasn't a masterpiece (for one thing, editing was sloppy in places), I enjoyed it and thought it was well worth seeing.

Ok, so my biases out the way: I'm not into Christian films per se, but I love Queen Latifah in most of her films. She doesn't fail to disappoint, being charismatic and larger than life whilst still being humble. Her daughter in the film has a great voice (is a singer herself in real life) with a Michael Jackson cover that brought tears to my eyes.

The love interest aspect is fun and sweet, there's a sub plot about love and loss, and just some great modern Christian singing and performance. I'm sure Christians will get more out of this, but anyone will feel sympathetic for this group of personalities on their musical journey.

This film really stuck in my head, and left me with a great positive vibe. It was well filmed and executed. Look - it's no subtle or complex bit of social commentary or story telling, but yet it's not the bland rubbish like Mama Mia. One of those films which I can watch again and again, and that's very rare for me.

Excellent Gospel music, and top shelf humor. A script of depth too, touching on the human condition and the pitfalls of being young, nice to see a film where the main characters are talented woman.

I enjoyed this movie with my 12 year old son and 17 year old daughter. The gospel music and contemporary pop made it appealing to all ages. The movie was funny and not too heavy but delivered a good wholesome message. Dolly has been a long time favorite of mine and I had almost forgotten how funny she can be. The entire family could take away a message of hope from Joyful Noise. Who knew Queen Latifia could sing so beautifully? This is an all star cast of talented young people with a witty twist and a great upbeat mood from start to finish.

I would suggest seeing this movie with someone who could use a good laugh!