The new Peacock Original Movie, Praise This takes Pitch Perfect and throws it in a blender with Sister Act, and a dash of Gleefully time to give you a fun, but uneven storyline.

When we first dive in we meet a handful of characters. Actress/Musician Chloe Bailey plays Sam. Sam is acting out in Los Angeles so her father sends her to Atlanta to live with her Uncle and sister/cousin, Jess (Anjelika Washington). 

While there, she’s introduced to the world of Gospel Choir competition. This helps her find her voice while also pursuing her own music career. 

IT’S GIVING WORSHIP AND PRAISE

I loved all the performances throughout Praise This. They were really fun, entertaining gospelized versions of pop songs. All the groups were incredible and equally matched. So, when it came to picking a favorite, or even an underdog, I had a hard time because no one was better than another. 

As far as the core storyline with Sam (Baily), it was a little all over the place. The girl is grown, not quite 21, but grown. She’s living her life trying to process her grief and her father sends her away. It’s an odd choice to send your adult child to another state when they could just say no.

Then, her music career along with the choir gets a little muddy. I wish we had one or the other and not both. You could still have Quavo give her a beat, and make it fun. But when she steals it from him and there are basically zero repercussions besides silence, that was also a headscratcher.

PICK A LANE

Everything about the Christian storyline was very underplayed. Praise This didn’t feel like it wanted to push the envelope or alienate viewership. So, instead, it’s not churchy enough for a Christian film but also doesn’t have enough life-changing storylines for outsiders to feel a pull. 

The film is also incredibly long for what it is. There’s no reason Praise This should be a 2-hour film. If they had cut 30 mins out of it, the film would’ve been more streamlined, well-paced, and story-driven. 

Overall, if you’re looking for something fun to throw on in the background go for it. Otherwise, this one’s a skip for me.