Joyful Noise

Make Some Noise 

Starring:  Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan
Year:  2012
Running Time:  118 minutes

I don't do gospel and I don't do church choirs (with the exception of Sister Act and any performance of Like a Prayer featuring a choir) but I love me some Dolly Parton.  So a film about a church choir trying to restore hope and faith to a small town in Georgia that has fallen on hard times starring Dolly and Queen Latifah sounded pretty good to me.  While there are certainly some cringe-worthy moments, there are also plenty of entertaining moments, funny one-liners and stellar vocal performances to compensate for those moments.

Vi Rose (Queen Latifah) is a traditional and overzealous mother who has fixed ideas about what is right and what is wrong, especially when it comes to her teenage daughter, Olivia.  G.G. (Dolly Parton) is a sassy grandmother, and benefactor of the local church, who is open to change.  G.G. is outraged when Vi Rose is appointed as choir leader after G.G.'s husband dies.  The town is counting on the choir to win the regional choir competition but Vi Rose refuses to change their songs to a more contemporary style which the choir believes is needed in order for them to win.

G.G.'s grandson, Randy, arrives in town.  He has a reputation for being a troublemaker so it makes sense that Olivia is attracted to him.  Needless to say Vi Rose is not happy about this blossoming relationship.  However, Randy does win some points with her when he is able to calm her son, Walter, who has Asperger syndrome, by singing Walter's favourite song, Walk Away Renee, with him.  Randy offers to give Walter piano lessons and develops a friendship with him.

After they lose (again) the pastor cuts the choir's funding but in a twist of fate (or the work of God) the winning choir at the regional competition is disqualified because it was made up of professional singers.  So the choir prepares to head to Los Angeles for the finals and Vi Rose is slowly won over by the choir's new arrangements (their performance for the congregation is a little too funky for my liking).

However, the pastor is having none of it and insists they go back to traditional songs and perform at the finals without Randy.  G.G. outsmarts the pastor by getting ordained online and threatening to sponsor the choir herself, as per the rules of the competition.  So she and Randy, and a still skeptical pastor, head to LA to join the choir.

I loved the shade thrown between Vi Rose and G.G. throughout the film with gems such as:
"I'd call you stubborn but that'd be an insult to mules".
"Quit it with those nails, Edward Scissorhands".
"I'm old?  You read the Bible to reminisce".
One of the best scenes is the fight between the two women in which G.G. throws bread rolls and other food at Vi Rose who eventually gets her in a headlock.  Another scene that stands out for me is G.G.'s duet with Randy.  They perform From here to the moon and back, a song which Dolly recorded with Willie Nelson on her Blue Smoke album.  Absolutely stunning.

One of the most annoying scenes is when the choir from Our Lady of Perpetual Tears performs - a children's choir led by a whiny and self-indulgent prepubescent boy.  Fortunately this is followed by a gospelised medley of pop and hip hop hits by Vi Rose and G.G.'s choir, including an awesome version of Forever by Dolly.  I despise Chris Brown but that doesn't change the fact that Forever is a damn good song.

Even with the preaching and Vi Rose's tiresome self-righteousness, the film lives up to its title.  It makes you smile, it has you singing along at times and it fills your heart with a little joy - and maybe even a little faith.