72
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenYour religion or lack of one doesn't matter. At some point while watching the film, you may feel that music IS God, or if not, a close approximation of divinity.
- 80VarietyLeslie FelperinVarietyLeslie FelperinAn overview of African-American gospel sounds whose dazzling talent-display should exhilarate viewers regardless of religious leanings.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttFor anyone with a keen interest in this unique American musical form, Rejoice and Shout is a must-see and see-again.
- 70Village VoiceNick PinkertonVillage VoiceNick PinkertonThe best bits - the powerful instrument called Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, for example - more than speak for themselves.
- 60Boxoffice MagazineBoxoffice MagazineSome of the performances in the film (from Mahalia Jackson to The Clara Ward Singers) are deeply affecting and the historical context the film provides is as impressive as the music itself.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanIts straightforward approach is notably lacking the divine inspiration of its subject. But Don McGlynn's gospel documentary delivers so many moments of artistic ecstasy, we can forgive the plain wrapping.
- 58The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe smartest move that McGlynn makes in Rejoice And Shout is to let those old performances run on at length.
- 50Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerSlant MagazineAndrew SchenkerOne is left wondering what exactly the now moldy "anything is possible" sentiments of our 44th president have to do with a music whose history and cultural meaning we've just spent the last two hours not learning nearly enough about.
- 40Time OutTime OutNo movie that includes Tharpe's blistering electric guitar and the soaring falsetto of the Swan Silvertones' Claude Jeter can be all bad, but it's astonishing how little this time capsule adds to its phenomenal source material. You might even call it a miracle.
- 38New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithOnly rarely does the film present a genuine insight, such as the observation that many black people loved to dress up in their finest for church because, during the week, they were so often dressed as servants and manual laborers.