A street-wise teen from Baltimore who has been raised by a single mother travels to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives, where he embarks on a surprising and inspirational journey.
Despite the odd rip-roaring tune and some sturdy performances, this yuletide tale is as memorable as last year's sprouts.
Beneath middling songs – walloped out in the artless, post-Cowell manner – there's something faintly touching about its vision of broken homes; it's when our boy is forcibly shown the light that the gap between heavenly ambition and desultory execution becomes too vast for a simple leap of faith to bridge.
The well-worn platitudes and pained moralising are a bit much, but the music is tremendous.
Kasi Lemmons, who did such a great job directing Eve's Bayou in the 1990s, brings warmth and passion to the unashamedly schmaltzy and contrived proceedings, flowing freely between song and dance and drama, climaxing in a celebratory service which will have you tapping your feet, wiping your eye, and loving your neighbour as yourself.
This melodramatic update relies heavily on portentous plotting and ungainly coincidences.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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