"Joyful Noise" has positive message, but...

Every time we went to a movie this fall, my daughter would tell me just how much she wanted to see "Joyful Noise." It looked like it could be a lot of fun or a train wreck filled with Southern and church stereotypes. I hoped for the best. Love Queen Latifah. Dolly Parton can be a hoot, too. And I adore Keke Palmer, maybe because my daughter and I met her and she's not in the tabloids.

First, my daughter did like it a lot. She gave it a B+. I totally think it's because of Keke. I'm giving it a C-/D+. It wasn't horrible, but it didn't leave me joyous. It felt like another trite musical comedy — inconsistent with too many punchlines that seemed strait out of a sitcom. But the message was positive, with the potential of being inspiring had it been executed a bit better. But since I'm not a film expert, I'll just leave it there.

The story focuses on a choir trying to get some national recognition. Of course there has to be conflict, so you get it with two competitive women — one become choir director (Queen Latifah) and the other is a big church supporter (Parton). Happens the new choir director's daughter (Palmer) falls for the other's grandson (Jeremy Jordan). More tension. Women argue. Mom and daughter argues. There's a side story about a kid with Asperger's syndrome, and how another unlocks his potential, as well as the story of an absentee dad. Oh, yeah, and there's a lot of music on the road to the competition.

So much is going on that nothing feels totally developed. I think this is why I wasn't feeling the characters. There were some funny and silly moments, and there were many topics to talk about after the movie. I like that. Movies should get you talking with your kids. I ended up talking to my daughter about how they characterized the teen with Asperger's, mom-daughter conflict, true friendships, competition, spirituality, etc. Fun.

I didn't feel like it was a PG-13 movie, but it wasn't a kid movie. There was some language, such as when mother and daughter argued, but nothing too intense. There is no nudity or outwardly sexuality; but there is young love, flirting and a touch of dirty dancing. With an older couple, there was innuendo, and you know they had sex from the morning after scene in bed. Oh, there was a bit of a fist fight between teen boys, but nothing grizzly about it. If anything, it's a chance to talk about settling disagreements with violence.

I wouldn't say many kids under age 10 would want to see it. But it's generally a family friendly flick for older kids.

Cheers!