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Alynda Wheat, People: MODERATE (cg) "...missing is a sense of, well, sense, with implausible secondary characters, tired jokes and a plot that dives into cliché... That said, much of the film, particularly the music, truly is joyful." (Read the full review...) 198 words, 01/12/12 Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "The plot, yoking 'Sister Act' to 'Glee,' renounces subtlety and surprise as if they were tools of Satan.... and yet, what's wrong with a fantasy of communal affection? The film radiates an aura of innocence that is no less appealing for being manufactured." (Read the full review...) 1,037 words, 01/13/12 Christy Lemire, Associated Press: WEAK (cg) "You've got your squeaky-clean reworkings of pop tunes from various decades, which are intended to please viewers of all ages; some romance, although nothing too hot and heavy; and a large dollop of prayer... very few sounds in 'Joyful Noise' ring true." (Read the full review...) 657 words, 01/12/12 Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: MODERATE (cg) "There's a lot to like about this 'Glee'/'Sister Act' mashup -- but only when its stars are singing.... The musical numbers soar..." (Read the full review...) 91 words, 01/12/12 Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (cg) "...reflects the inspiration of 'Glee' and God, in that order.... Can these spunky vocalists go the distance?... The [musical] numbers create a deep river of feeling, even when stuck in the shallow banks of a movie like this one." (Read the full review...) 331 words, 01/13/12 Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: MODERATE (cg) "Lots of talented young singers decorate the scenery, notably Jeremy Jordan, who has vocal and acting chops that shine even in this bucket of 'Glee Goes Gospel' cornpone." (Read the full review...) 168 words, 01/13/12 Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE (cg) "...has some wince-inducing, corn-pone-cutesy dialogue -- spoken by Dolly Parton's character -- and a flurry of moralistic lecturing, mostly by Queen Latifah, but the music is undeniably enjoyable." (Read the full review...) 447 words, 01/13/12 Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: WEAK (cg) "...an ungainly assembly of parts that don't fit... Here are people we don't believe, with dialogue that sounds contrived and unconvincing.... Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah, let it be said, are too much for one choir. They provide an excess of subplots." (Read the full review...) 896 words, 01/13/12 Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: MODERATE (cg) "The writing is a bit scattershot, with weird bits of comedy business coming out of nowhere, or so it seems, and then becoming sort-of plot points.... However, the movie's heart really is in the right place..." (Read the full review...) 609 words, 01/12/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: FAIR "...a flimsy movie musical whose parts are pasted together with chewing gum and Scotch tape.... 'Joyful Noise' wraps several entertainment modes into a hot fudge Sunday sundae." (Read the full review...) 622 words, 01/13/12 Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK (cg) "...writer/director Todd Graff wants to speak directly to the audience that reflects his film: religious, rural, and hit hard by the recession and military sacrifice. This alone makes it a welcome entry... But that's no excuse for his painfully obvious script and broad, slapsticky direction." (Read the full review...) 375 words, 01/13/12 Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: MODERATE "The movie's all right, if you can take its rampant artificiality... Audiences still adore Parton, for good reason... But the cast is dealing with adequate material, at best, and the noise is more dutiful than joyful." (Read the full review...) 442 words, 01/13/12 Lou Lumenick, New York Post: WEAK (cg) "Praise the Lord and pass the clichés." (Read the full review...) 440 words, 01/13/12 Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "...the movie powers forward like a freight train. Watch for two astounding performances from real-life gospel star Kirk Franklin and a young stunner named Ivan Kelley Jr. Consider me a convert." (Read the full review...) 360 words, 01/13/12 David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...too transparently corny and manipulative to resent.... Latifah has a warm and natural presence and looks great in her two-toned shiny violet choir robes. So does Parton, who, even lacquered and lockjawed, reminds you how much purity there can be in artifice." (Read the full review...) 833 words, 01/16/12 Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: WEAK (cg) "...an ungainly assembly of parts that don't fit... Here are people we don't believe, with dialogue that sounds contrived and unconvincing.... Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah, let it be said, are too much for one choir. They provide an excess of subplots." (Read the full review...) 896 words, 01/13/12 Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "A holy hot mess of the sacred and the inane.... The climactic sing-off is gaudy, Vegas-style maximalist mega-church entertainment, more piled on top of more..." (Read the full review...) 595 words, 01/11/12 Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: WEAK (cg) "There's no sin in making a movie with an inspirational message, but there must be a way to do it that doesn't leave you feeling like you are covered in a sticky film as the credits roll." (Read the full review...) 666 words, 01/13/12 Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR (cg) "...an unholy mess." (Read the full review...) 560 words, 01/13/12 Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: POOR (cg) "The characters and plot turns are so contrived, you're forced to swallow it all on blind faith. The music offers no salvation either, unless of course you're big on gospel." (Read the full review...) 235 words, 01/20/12
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: MODERATE (cg) "The movie revolves around keeping the faith through obstacle after obstacle, but the dramedy's ultimate feel-good nature proves infectious... Despite some mawkish dialogue, there's something to be said for leaving the theater with a smile." (Read the full review...) 500 words, 01/13/12 Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "Not since 'Dreamgirls' have I heard a movie audience burst into spontaneous applause after on-screen musical numbers. It's the sequences between the numbers that are instantly forgettable." (Read the full review...) 454 words, 01/13/12 Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD (cg) "...good-natured cornpone, insistently affirmative and uplifting, but not so pushy you feel that the emotions are being coerced.... rapturous fun." (Read the full review...) 382 words, 01/13/12 Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: WEAK (cg) "...makes the average Tyler Perry film seem like a masterpiece of restraint and subtlety." (Read the full review...) 274 words, 01/13/12 Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE (cg) "The movie is well aware that hard times in poor towns affect everyone regardless of race, and the hope in those upraised voices is a response to something dark and real." (Read the full review...) 650 words, 01/13/12 Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD (cg) "...a little like an old-fashioned, American-holiday family dinner. There's too much of it. Some of what's there is so sweet it could give you a toothache. And there is corn." (Read the full review...) 558 words, 01/13/12 Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE (cg) "Here's a film that makes a happy ruckus. It should, considering its title and its plot, a cross between 'Glee' and 'Sister Act 2.' Like most ruckuses, it is frequently loud and not always intelligible." (Read the full review...) 345 words, 01/13/12 Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "...cheerful testament to the theory that if you cast your movie right, nothing else much matters.... In the end, everything's smiles and song and good feeling; never mind that it was a bit slapdash getting there." (Read the full review...) 411 words, 01/13/12 Kevin Johnson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: WEAK (cg) "...nothing more than uninspired mushiness." (Read the full review...) 390 words, 01/13/12 Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: GOOD (cg) "...a good movie when it lifts up its heart and lets people sing. There are some tremendous vocal performances here, and most of them don't showcase the movie's stars, Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton." (Read the full review...) 468 words, 01/12/12 Adam Graham, Detroit News: FAIR (cg) "...feels both overstuffed and glossed over. It wants to be a charming, down-home good time, but it struggles to hit the right notes. It's a song that never quite comes together." (Read the full review...) 332 words, 01/13/12 Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: MODERATE (cg) "...despite its handful of good musical numbers and a solid-as-usual performance from Queen Latifah, the real heart and soul of the film, 'Joyful Noise' turns out to be flimsy and erratic, stumbling around its characters' emotions with little purpose and no narrative direction." (Read the full review...) 526 words, 01/13/12
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "A holy hot mess of the sacred and the inane.... The climactic sing-off is gaudy, Vegas-style maximalist mega-church entertainment, more piled on top of more..." (Read the full review...) 595 words, 01/11/12 Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "...treads entirely expected territory, but often does so with wit and charm, and it ends on a big enough high note that it's easy to forget the bumpier moments that came before it." (Read the full review...) 599 words, 01/10/12 Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE (cg) "There's not much joy but there's plenty of noise of the rafter-rocking gospel singing variety... As in a Tyler Perry movie, the obvious issues of race get buried under a litany of life-affirming platitudes." (Read the full review...) 133 words, 01/12/12 Tasha Robinson, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "Actor-turned-writer/director Todd Graff ('Camp,' 'Bandslam') delivers admirably on the song sequences, but falls down in other areas... Plenty of movies preach to the choir; this one literally does it with a choir." (Read the full review...) 396 words, 01/12/12 Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "...a well-intentioned, pleasant-enough picture that shoots off in too many directions to ever ignite." (Read the full review...) 782 words, 01/12/12 R. Kurt Osenlund, Slant: VERY GOOD (cg) "...the kind of thing you keep grinning at and grooving with, but wouldn't eagerly admit to liking. The kicker is that despite the standard-issue sap of its garden-variety plot, the film isn't out to change your life or desperately steal your tears." (Read the full review...) 714 words, 01/12/12 Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: POOR (cg) "The characters and plot turns are so contrived, you're forced to swallow it all on blind faith. The music offers no salvation either, unless of course you're big on gospel." (Read the full review...) 235 words, 01/20/12 Edward Adams, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg) "...upbeat and has a pleasant, family relevant message that shines through. Before buying your ticket, clear your plate and check your cynicism because by the end, you'll feel a bit full but pleasantly satisfied." (Read the full review...) 726 words, 01/12/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "The members of the poor, mostly black church choir at the center of Todd Graff's would-be inspirational film lift their voices in song that makes you smile, and squander their voices on dialogue that makes you cringe (but also smile in oddly pleasurable disbelief)." (Read the full review...) 343 words, 01/13/12 Stephen Holden, New York Times: FAIR "...a flimsy movie musical whose parts are pasted together with chewing gum and Scotch tape.... 'Joyful Noise' wraps several entertainment modes into a hot fudge Sunday sundae." (Read the full review...) 622 words, 01/13/12 Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "The movie's all right, if you can take its rampant artificiality... Audiences still adore Parton, for good reason... But the cast is dealing with adequate material, at best, and the noise is more dutiful than joyful." (Read the full review...) 442 words, 01/13/12
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a routinely plotted competition drama in which Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton vie for control of a small-town Georgia church chorus.... falls somewhere between Tyler Perry and the Disney Channel, offering up lively but far-from-lifelike characters." (Read the full review...) 918 words, 01/05/12 Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "...a sort-of 'Sister Act 3' about a small town church gospel choir that gets a musical makeover. Staggeringly cornball and squeaky-clean... everyone on view is so fundamentally decent and goody-goody that no real tension or unresolvable conflicts ever surface." (Read the full review...) 737 words, 01/05/12 Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "The movie's all right, if you can take its rampant artificiality... Audiences still adore Parton, for good reason... But the cast is dealing with adequate material, at best, and the noise is more dutiful than joyful." (Read the full review...) 442 words, 01/13/12 Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE (cg) "Parton and Latifah work together well to make the most of the many Southernfried quips that director-writer Todd Graff has compiled for them. But their catfight, which reaches a slightly violent apex at a local diner, just never gets quite nasty enough." (Read the full review...) 688 words, 01/10/12 Stephen Holden, New York Times: FAIR "...a flimsy movie musical whose parts are pasted together with chewing gum and Scotch tape.... 'Joyful Noise' wraps several entertainment modes into a hot fudge Sunday sundae." (Read the full review...) 622 words, 01/13/12 Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "The members of the poor, mostly black church choir at the center of Todd Graff's would-be inspirational film lift their voices in song that makes you smile, and squander their voices on dialogue that makes you cringe (but also smile in oddly pleasurable disbelief)." (Read the full review...) 343 words, 01/13/12
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