When the Sacred Divinity Church’s choir director Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson) passes away unexpectedly, Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance) finds himself on the horns of a dilemma. Should he move the late deacon’s assistant, Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah) into the vacant position, or give it to the late director’s grieving widow, G.G. (Dolly Parton)?

After agonizing over the decision, the reverend settles on Vi Rose Hill, thereby potentially risking the survival of the church, since the well-to-do Sparrow family is the church’s major benefactor. By comparison, life’s a struggle for Vi Rose and most of the other citizens of Pacashau, Georgia.

As a consequence of the economic recession, the once thriving town has become a decaying metropolis complete with foreclosure signs, a soup kitchen packed with homeless people, and a business district that is dotted with vacant storefronts.

G.G.’s grudging ratification of the promotion of Vi Rose has answered the prayers of Pastor Dale who desperately wants to avoid creating a rift in his congregation. He hopes that with Vi Rose, the choir will have a chance to place first at the upcoming National Gospel Competition. This would bring a measure of pride to the church and the town of Pacashau.

That unlikely event is the essence of the plot of Joyful Noise, a modern morality play with musical numbers. The soulful singing performances are the film’s forte, such as Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson’s heartfelt duet of “From Here to the Moon and Back,” Keke Palmer and Jeremy Jordan’s interpretation of “Maybe I’m Amazed,” and Ivan Kelley, Jr.’s spirited rendition of “That’s the Way God Planned It.”

At the point of departure, we see that Vi Rose has her hands full. She is leading the choir and raising two teenagers alone because her husband (Jesse L. Martin) has joined the military because he couldn’t find a local job. Their son, Walter (Dexter Darden), needs help handling his Asperger’s syndrome, and their daughter, Olivia  (Palmer), has a thug for a boyfriend (Paul Woolfolk).

Everything changes the day G.G.’s grandson Randy (Jordan) unexpectedly comes home from New York City. Although a little rough around the edges, the misunderstood young man is just the answer for everybody’s problems.

First, he falls in love with Olivia at first sight and then he becomes a surrogate big brother to Walter. When he joins the choir it’s only a matter of time before he mends the fences between Vi Rose and G.G., as they are on the road to the finals at the Joyful Noise contest in Los Angeles.

Very Good (**½). Rated PG-13 for profanity and a sexual reference. Running time: 117 minutes. Distributor: Warner Brothers.