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.

Storyline was a bit familiar, but it is presented in a new, fresh way. There is a strong main storyline and other small background stories which link back to it. The stories are touching and show great sensitivity. Very well played. Even though it takes place in the south, there is a rich diversity in the movie. It paints a lovely picture of the new south. Dolly Parton is charming as always. Queen Latifah is perfect in this role. They play off each other beautifully. Kiki Palmer and Jeremy Jordan are fantastic and fresh. The singing and choreography are top notch. Constant flowing entertainment. Never a dull moment. Well worth my time and money.

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.

Yes, the script was mighty thin in places and tried to tackle way too many subjects in too short a period of time (the poor economy, marriage struggles, death, teenage angst/rebellion, teenage love, etc., etc.), but despite its flaws this movie provided some fine musical entertainment, and pretty much delivered on its goal of being an uplifting movie-going experience.

I attended this movie with my senior citizen mom and my tween daughter, and all of us found some things to enjoy about this flick. There were some laughs, some moving plot points, some great musical numbers, and some fine performances, particularly on the part of the younger cast members. Some days you are just looking for some softball, "feel good" entertainment rather than a darker or more weighty film. This movie fits the bill if you're in the mood for some harmless, mostly mindless, fluffy entertainment.

I liked the movie a lot. I've always loved both Dolly Pardon and Queen Latifah. I don't know who thought to put those two together but for my money, it worked. Yes, Dolly has had a lot of work done. SO WHAT? She's a sweetheart and still feisty! The plot has some definite misses, it was predictable and cheesy at times, but it was fun! Yes it was a bit of a "Sister Act 2" combined with "Footloose" rip off but again I say: SO WHAT?? I enjoyed the movie. Is it going to win an academy award? Nope. But it was nice way to spend an afternoon. It had me dancing in my seat and left me feeling good. And that's exactly what I wanted it to do. We have a winner!!