Joyful Noise

The widow (Dolly Parton) of the choir director at a small-town Georgia church clashes with the new director (Queen Latifah) over the leadership of the choir—and the fact that the widow’s grandson (Jeremy Jordan) is romancing the director’s daughter (Keke Palmer). Actor Todd Graff turns auteur for the third time in his career, but all he can think to do is recycle the plot (how to win the big musical competition) from his last opus, the supremely forgettable Bandslam. For this one, writer-director Graff convenes a veritable master class in forgettability—trite drama, halfhearted comedy, and dismal songs that wear out their welcome in 30 seconds (they set our toes tapping, all right, but only with impatience). Through it all, Graff does the seemingly impossible: He makes both Parton and Latifah boring.