If you’re familiar with the entertainment business, it’s probably no real surprise that “Joyful Noise” wasn’t going to garner any favoritism from the critics. There were a lot of elements–the January release date being one of them–that pointed to the critics giving this a tongue-lashing, and they did.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film, starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, garnered a measly 38% rating, while audiences gave it a passing 75%. Overall, the critics felt that aside from Parton and Latifah’s on-screen chemistry and musical numbers, the film was flat. Let’s see what the critics had to say individually.
“This overlong and forgettable comedy about a gospel choir is so uninspiring that I’m not even concerned about using the ‘sour note’ cliche. The movie deserves no better!”–Eric D. Snider, Film.com
“Even for the big musical numbers, the shooting is pretty flat. 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.”–Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies
“This movie is a cloying, over-the-top, cheesy sing-a-long that makes ‘Glee’ seem subtle.”–Richard Roeper, RichardRoeper.com
What did you think of “Joyful Noise”? Sound off below.
