Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.

Hopefully, one day Regina Hall will win an Oscar. Pity that she’s never even garnered a nomination. Hall has consistently been a standout in most productions she blesses with her presence. I enjoyed her work in The Best Man, Scary Movie, Think Like a Man, Girls Trip, Support the Girls, and The Hate U Give. Hall’s latest triumph is a highlight of her career. She co-stars as one half of a married duo who runs a Southern Baptist megachurch.

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul is essentially a two-hander anchored by a pair of hypnotic performances. Sterling K. Brown is Lee-Curtis Childs, and Regina Hall is his devoted wife, Trinitie. Together they once served a congregation in the tens of thousands. A scandal involving Lee-Curtis forces their church to close temporarily. The couple has opened their life to a documentary filmmaker to record their ostensible comeback. The two are determined to succeed like a phoenix rising from the ashes. This film invites us to laugh at their attempt. Actress Nicole Beharie as Shakura Sumpter and actor Conphidance as her husband Keon deserve a mention as rival pastors who comprise a fascinating subplot.

There’s no question that Brown and notably Hall rise to the occasion. Their depictions are a mesmerizing achievement that captivates the audience’s attention. The problem is that the screenplay by director Adamma Ebo (her sister Adanne is a producer) is so utterly generic and superficial in its handling of the material. Targets include the excessive wealth of churches that serve the poor and a contradictory sermon to spread God’s love but not THAT kind of love. Wait, a religious leader isn’t as holy as they profess to be? Dear Lord that is the most predictable take I could have expected.

Consider for a moment that a man of God might show a sincere commitment to the glory of the creator. Coming on the heels of The Eyes of Tammy Faye, it’s hard not to make comparisons. That film showed nuance as it elicited compassion for its protagonists. Here the characters are broadly drawn caricatures. Lee-Curtis Childs is an irredeemable charlatan that preens about in expensive suits and flirts inappropriately with the help. It is a testament to Hall’s talent that she — in contrast — manages to engender some sympathy along with the requisite contempt. “Why are you supporting this horrible person?” is the overriding feeling in one scene after another. Don’t get me wrong. Honoring your marriage is an admirable aspiration. Matthew 19:6 states: “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Yet this movie managed to make me question that edict.

09-03-22