Starring Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah. Rated PG.

Hmm, well, random tiny thoughts flit about the skull after viewing Joyful Noise. Singing—especially singing in an adorable gospel choir—makes people happy. (That’s why glee clubs are called glee clubs and TV’s Glee is called Glee.) “Walk Away Renée” was always a great song and still is. Queen Latifah is so amazonian next to Dolly Parton that they’d make an excellent dwarf-tossing team. Parton makes all things better just being her weirdly captivating, charming, and plastic Dolly self. Joyful Noise isn’t a very good movie, but don’t blame the ladies.

Writer-director Todd Graff has concocted a cutesy, honestly sucky story that one only vaguely recalls minutes later. Parton plays G. G. Sparrow, member of a Georgia church choir and wife to its director, Bernard (Kris Kristofferson). To help the movie out, Bernard kicks the bucket almost immediately. This isn’t a spoiler, but maybe it was a bummer for Kristofferson. Or maybe not.

Instead of making G. G. the new choir director, Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance) picks fellow member Vi Rose Hill (Latifah). As they try to figure out how the hell (oops!) to win the National Joyful Noise Competition, a pretend-sassy battle between the very tall woman and the very small breaks out. Predictable events ensue.

The singing is super keen and everybody’s got super-fine pipes. That includes Keke Palmer, playing Vi Rose’s spirited daughter, Olivia, and Jeremy Jordan, playing G. G.’s rebel grandson, Randy. They fall for each other in order to add faux strife. Oh, and a little kid in a rival choir sounds like a combination of Michael Jackson circa the Jackson Five and Little Stevie Wonder in one awesome set of young vocal cords.

Parton wrote a pretty, haunting song called “From Here to the Moon and Back”, which she performs in a nice, if odd fantasy bit with Kristofferson (or maybe his ghost), who then disappears. Come back, Kris. And bring Bobby McGee.

Watch the trailer for Joyful Noise.