Angry Parents, Yes, Gospel Goodness, No

(Jan. 19, 2012) Reviews

Joyful Noise. It probably doesn’t come as any surprise that Joyful Noise isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse. I keep an open mind, and try not to let skepticism mar my movie-going experience, but I can only do so much. I’m not much for gospel choirs or musicals. Even less so musicals about gospel choirs, so …

Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet in Carnage

GALLERY >

While it seems a little unfair to tear down such a guileless, earnest effort, I can’t forgive the superficiality with which it is attempted. Set against the backdrop of a supposedly recession-ravaged, rural Georgia town, Noise centers on the struggles of the local church choir. The choir is good enough to compete on the national stage, but not quite good enough to win. There’s a minor conflict over the appointment of Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah) as choir director, led by the widow (Dolly Parton) of the former director, then some skirmishes when Vi Rose’s chaste, repressed daughter falls for the new guy in town. Vi Rose and her husband are estranged; her son is an Asperger’s savant. She speaks almost exclusively in clumsy aphorisms. The outline of the plot is basically a to-do list of small-town Christian-values clichés.

This would be fine if any of it was treated with sensitivity or insight, but both qualities are in troublingly short supply. Queen Latifah stands out among the rest of the cast for her commitment to the role. Unfortunately, this just highlights the sad flatness of everything around her.

The triumphant closing musical number comes as a pleasant surprise after a two-hour slog through forced dialog and patently untrue dramatics, but it’s not enough.

Carnage. By way of stark contrast comes Roman Polanski’s latest. While Noise tries unsuccessfully to convince us of the existence of a higher power/greater good within us all, Carnageis a nasty, often hilarious dissection of the social contract. It contends that there is no greater good: We act decently toward one another because we’re expected to, and because we are rarely pushed.

After a violent playground incident, the parents of the two boys involved convene at one couple’s New York apartment to discuss the matter. Within seconds it becomes clear that no one in the group shares an outlook, and the awkward civility of the get-together starts to fall apart. Before long the four are caught in a darkly funny, very contemporary No Exit.

Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly play Penelope and Michael, the liberal-leaning parents of the victim. Penelope’s righteous indignation at the attack on her child precipitates their discussion with Alan and Nancy (Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet).

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