Joyful Noise

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!!

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.

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 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.

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.