MOVIE REVIEW - Joyful Noise

Queen Latifah, and Dolly Parton are teamed up in this weeks new Joyful Noise.

Man, have the national and local critics been tough on this new adventure. I've even seen scores of D-. That's the reason I don't have a scoring system here in my reviews. I think they can jade people, without them reading further. I lay it out and you decide.

Joyful Noise you may have seen is the new music movie that is centered around a church choir that is battling to win a national competition musically. Latifah, and Parton play antagonistic characters that are struggling for control of the choir. There is also a young love, Romeo and Juliet story within involving our main characters daughter and grandson respectively. And a whole bunch of this is old and tired. A storyline that has been done to death.

So let's move on. I think you have to judge movies on exactly what they are. This is not for everyone. This movie is a niche movie. A certain kind of movie goer is going to go and like it. This is not for the bulk of most targeted movies. I find it difficult to imagine that a group of 20 year old boys are going to load up and see this. I think a good movie maker knows who is going, and zeroes in.

Joyful Noise has a lot of problems that the critics are talking about. The dialogue is terrible at times. Many characters talk in horrible cliche's. The acting, writing, and many of the scenes designed for big laughs are really not overly funny. And if you've seen the trailers, you've seen most of them. It also tries way too hard to be relevant. Reaching time and again to remind us that the economy is bad, blah blah. In short, a big bulk of this is not very good.

But it doesn't matter. What is good is the music, and the joy that is brought from watching talented people perform. Thankfully, there are a number of nice music and performance scenes here to wipe away some ills. It's good to hear Dolly sing some great spiritual songs. Latifah too, and many of the others. These scenes are spot on target for the core audience that will flock to see Joyful Noise.

There are worse things than to make movies that are good for virtually anyone to see. Or that families can see together. And thankfully, occasionally ones that are not animated with singing dogs, or plucky, dancing computer generated characters. Have we become to used to all that overused nonsense that there is no room for a good old family movie? Joyful Noise isn't designed to win Oscars, or Golden Globes. It's not going to change cinematic history, set box office records. So what? My gosh critics, quit looking down your elitist nose, and quit trying to be the smartest person in the room. It's a movie that knows whose going to see it, and serves them directly.

Is Joyful Noise great? It's not my favorite movie, but it's going to be enjoyed by a ton of people that don't care about Oscars, or cinematic history. It's simply to be enjoyed by those looking for something to go to, that will lift them up, and make them glad they went to the movies that day.

Joyful Noise. For what is isn't, it's got problems. But for what it is, and for those who go, they won't care. And I'm good with that.