Joyful Noise

High-spirited in more ways than one, Joyful Noise is a soundtrack in search of a movie.

The latest musical from writer-director Todd Graff (Bandslam) boasts a handful of toe-tapping gospel medleys and production numbers, but loses steam considerably when the music stops.

The film features the first big-screen starring role in two decades for Dolly Parton, who has her moments alongside co-star Queen Latifah as a pair of bickering gospel choir leaders who share the same goal — to win an elusive title in a national singing competition for their small-town Georgia church.

After the choir leader dies, Vi Rose (Latifah) is appointed to take over as the group prepares for its regional competition. This causes a rift with G.G. (Parton), a fellow singer who happens to donate plenty of money to the church. When G.G.’s hotshot grandson Randy (Jeremy Jordan) comes to town and begins flirting with Vi Rose’s daughter Olivia (Keke Palmer), it causes further problems, especially when Randy introduces fresh song ideas that clash with Vi Rose’s conservative sensibilities.

Joyful Noise includes plenty of musical highlights, from re-imagined pop songs past and present (it is bizarre to hear Parton perform a cover of Chris Brown) to some original ballads and soulful choir numbers.

Of course, it helps that the principal cast members all have singing backgrounds, including Broadway star Jordan, who makes a promising transition to the big screen. Another name to watch is 14-year-old Ivan Kelley Jr., who steals a scene late in the film as the high-pitched lead singer for a children’s choir that competes for the crown.

It’s too bad the film bogs down in a predictable script that lacks subtlety and contains far too many contrived subplots, both comedic and dramatic. There’s the story of Olivia’s brother (Dexter Darden) who has Asperger’s syndrome and questions his faith, the rivalry between Randy and a guitar player (Paul Woolfolk) for Olivia’s affections, and the marital strife between Vi Rose and her military husband (Jesse L. Martin), to name a few.

Much of the spotlight is reserved equally for Latifah and Parton, who have fun trading barbs about weight gain and plastic surgery when they’re not spouting pearls of wisdom about family and religion.

As a broad crowd-pleaser, however, Joyful Noise tries to include something for everyone and winds up saying nothing at all.

Rated PG-13, 118 minutes.