"The Gospel" is one of those movies where a viewer enters the theater before the show, and is transported to a totally different place once it starts. Be prepared to enter a movie theater and exit a church.
Instead of the usual laughing, crying and screaming during most movies, you get clapping, praising and the occasional "amen."
"The Gospel" isn't the average church movie, such as the recent "The Fighting Temptations." The movie was an accurate depiction of how service is in a black church. Also, instead of being full of scriptures and church services, it takes the viewer behind the scenes of a normal Sunday service.
It includes the politics involved with running a church — including the infamous church-building fund. It also nails a lot of moral issues; rather than focusing on the Christian way of life, it tackles moral issues that everyone is forced to deal with.
David, played by Boris Kodjoe, is the son of a pastor who decides to leave his church to be a secular R&B singer. Years after leaving the church, he is faced with the challenge of choosing to further his career by promoting his hit song, "Let Me Undress You," or going to sit at his ailing father's side and carrying out his legacy. With friend and manager Wesley, (played by Omar Gooding, whose brother, Cuba, ironically starred in "Temptations"), on his back, he has to make a choice.
Casting Kodjoe in a gospel movie can be hard to imagine for some viewers because many may be used to him as Damon in Showtime's "Soul Food."
Former "American Idol" finalist Tamyra Gray, from the show's first season, played Rain, David's love interest. Although Rain was seen throughout the movie, it's a shame her character was so underdeveloped. The best thing about her role was she had the chance to sing in the movie, making the plot a little more realistic. A compelling performance of "Now Behold the Lamb" makes one wonder why Gray didn't win "American Idol" that year.
Honestly, the best thing about the movie was the music. It included songs from Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond and other gospel greats. The concert scene was really amazing — so amazing that moviegoers can't help but clap and sing along.
The movie did tend to jump around a lot. It could have gone deeper into some of the side plots presented — such as marital issues between the new pastor and his wife — instead of touching on them briefly and moving on to the next scene.
The movie ending is not unusual, but it is not totally predictable either. The movie has its twists and turns which keep you from thinking about the finale.
It was a great movie that will become a favorite in many collections as soon as it hits the shelves.
