Joyful Noise

Channeling Glee, this formulaic film follows a small-town Georgia church choir trying to get to a national singing competition in Los Angeles. After their beloved choirmaster, Bernard Sparrow (a cameo by Kris Kristofferson), suffers a fatal heart attack during the titular annual showcase, members of the Pacashau Sacred Divinity Choir are stunned when Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance) appoints Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah) to succeed Bernie. Particularly upset is Bernie's wealthy widow, G.G. Sparrow (Dolly Parton), who expected to inherit her late husband's position. Strong-willed, spiritual Vi is a stubborn gospel traditionalist, espousing conservative Christian values and snapping “Don't you bring all that Mariah/Christmas mess in here!” when her 16-year-old daughter, Olivia (Keke Palmer), riffs during rehearsal. In contrast, spunky G.G. wants to shake things up by injecting more contemporary pop culture into their music. Meanwhile, G.G.'s rambunctious, rebellious grandson Randy (Jeremy Jordan) has a hankering for songbird Olivia and volunteers to give piano lessons to Vi's self-absorbed, Asperger's-afflicted, teenage son Walter (Dexter Darden). Actor-turned-writer/director Todd Graff is treading familiar turf, serving up campy, barbed dialogue with lots of exuberant singing, including hits by Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, and Usher, among others. But, basically, it's a bunch of familiar hallelujah gospels glued together by caricaturist Southern-fried performances and an overwrought story. An optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Make Some Noise” extended trailer (3 min.) and a “Leading Ladies” segment with costars Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton (2 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a live gospel choir competition performance of “He's Everything” (7 min.), a featurette on the “Inspiration of Joyful Noise” (6 min.), a “Spotlight on a Song” segment on Parton's “From Here to the Moon” (4 min.), a deleted scene (2 min.), four extended songs, and bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package on the Blu-ray version for this hackneyed would-be crowd-pleaser.] (S. Granger)