If you make a movie centered around gospel music, and the gospel music in that movie is simply jump out your seat, soul stirring, hand raising fantastic, can the movie then be saved even though the prose that surrounds this movie is a jumbled, out of focus mess?  The answer is no.  Almost, but no.

From Rob Hardy, the man behind the ‘Trois’ trilogy (if you haven’t seen ‘em, I can’t help you).  Comes a movie about as far from ‘Trois’ as you could possibly imagine.  ‘The Gospel’ stars Boris Kodjoe as David Taylor.  Davis is the prodigal son of a hard working preacher man (the venerable Clifton Powell) who never seemed to have time for his family.  Due to an unfortunate tragedy, David leaves his father, the church and Atlanta to pursue a godless, secular career as an R&B singer.  Things seem to be going quite well for David.  Women throw their underwear at him onstage, liquor flows quite freely, his manager (Omar Gooding) is also his loyal servant, sex is easily accessible, and the true mark of stardom:  fist fights with a rappers.  Sadly, David’s father has taken ill, so he is forced to go back home to check on him and the troubled, financially strapped church.  Not everybody is happy to see him, as his former childhood friend, and now head deacon Charles Frank (Idris Elba) believes he should have stayed in sin land and let church people handle church business.   

As a film, it would seem the gospel attempts to be too ambitious.  It has so many branching story lines, that it’s difficult to pay attention to, or care about just one.  David is conflicted with his father, David is conflicted with Charles, David is conflicted with his lifestyle, David is conflicted with his career, Charles and his wife Charlene (Nona Gaye) are conflicted with each other because she won’t have sex with him

anymore, even thought she still loves him very much.  Now let’s examine this for just a second.  You get to sleep next to Nona Gaye every night, but you’re not allowed to touch her?  Chinese water torture has NOTHING on that.  Charlene is conflicted with David because they are cousins, but her husband and David can’t get along.  David wants to date Rain (Tamyra Gray) and Rain has a daughter.  Rain also has an ex-husband who wants to try again.  David is conflicted with him.  Rain is conflicted with him.  Rain is conflicted with David who is conflicted with God.  As a soap opera, this may work.  As a film, it doesn’t stand a chance.

Pile onto that Boris Kodjoe’s acting ability which consist of being tall, handsome and having a disarming smile, this would be completely unwatchable if…  If it wasn’t for the music.  People, it is live.  Even if you don’t like modern gospel, it would be hard not to be swept away in the energy and joy that the music is delivered with.  With top gospel talent such as Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin providing the soundtrack, it’s a marvel to behold.  I would tell you just buy the soundtrack, but it’s joy to listen to AND to see.   It almost saves the movie.  Almost.

But since this is a drama and not a concert film, I can’t recommend it because it’s just not any good as a movie.  And on that level, I guess it does have something in common with the three ‘Trois’ films.