I think this is a better movie than it's giving credit for. There are several different themes here, at least one of which (Aspergers) is rarely tackled in movies.
The story revolves around Christian music competitions. I guess I've lost track of what is happening in Christian music nowadays! And there are certainly some toe tapping performances here! The principal character here is a mother -- nicely played by Queen Lastifah, who is very protective of her maturing daughter (played nicely by Keke Palmer) and teenage son who has Aspergers (also well played by Dexter Darden). Along comes Jeremy Jordan who befriends the son and falls in love with the daughter. He's a positive presence, though mom is not at all sure of his trustworthiness.
Meanwhile, the choir director (very briefly played by Kris Kristofferson) has a heart attack, and Queen Latifah takes over the role...although there is some bitterness with the other major participant in the church choir -- Dolly Parton (Parton doesn't seem real anymore...too many plastic surgeries have flowed under bridge...she's just "okay" here).
Courtney B. Vance has gotten so old looking that I honestly didn't recognize him. There's also an interesting sub plot with the somewhat unattractive Angela Grovy, whose first sexual encounter in the film ends up in a heart attack and death for the man, but who finds true love later.
Each of the four principals -- Latifah, Palmer, Darden, and Jordan) are very engaging here, and I hope to see more of all of them in other films. Darden's performance, in particular, as the Aspergers inflicted son) is quite touching.
At certain places, particularly in the performance competition near the end of the film, things seems a little unrealistic, but that's okay, overall the film goes down pretty comfortably and is fairly entertaining. No, it's not one of those films that will be remembered for years, but Queen Latifah is a multi-talented star and she shines in placers in this film. And, Jeremy Jordan may very well be a star in the making. And, this film is uplifting.
The story revolves around Christian music competitions. I guess I've lost track of what is happening in Christian music nowadays! And there are certainly some toe tapping performances here! The principal character here is a mother -- nicely played by Queen Lastifah, who is very protective of her maturing daughter (played nicely by Keke Palmer) and teenage son who has Aspergers (also well played by Dexter Darden). Along comes Jeremy Jordan who befriends the son and falls in love with the daughter. He's a positive presence, though mom is not at all sure of his trustworthiness.
Meanwhile, the choir director (very briefly played by Kris Kristofferson) has a heart attack, and Queen Latifah takes over the role...although there is some bitterness with the other major participant in the church choir -- Dolly Parton (Parton doesn't seem real anymore...too many plastic surgeries have flowed under bridge...she's just "okay" here).
Courtney B. Vance has gotten so old looking that I honestly didn't recognize him. There's also an interesting sub plot with the somewhat unattractive Angela Grovy, whose first sexual encounter in the film ends up in a heart attack and death for the man, but who finds true love later.
Each of the four principals -- Latifah, Palmer, Darden, and Jordan) are very engaging here, and I hope to see more of all of them in other films. Darden's performance, in particular, as the Aspergers inflicted son) is quite touching.
At certain places, particularly in the performance competition near the end of the film, things seems a little unrealistic, but that's okay, overall the film goes down pretty comfortably and is fairly entertaining. No, it's not one of those films that will be remembered for years, but Queen Latifah is a multi-talented star and she shines in placers in this film. And, Jeremy Jordan may very well be a star in the making. And, this film is uplifting.