Henry is a middle school student who enjoys singing while his mechanic father William raps. His mother Lisa has been sober for more than a year and rides her bicycle to meetings.
For some reason Henry is harassed by bullies at school. One day he is running from the other boys and sees a church as a place where he can escape. Pastor Johnson lets him stay in the church and runs the other boys out, and he listens to Henry sing. Henry is quite talented, and most of his songs have a Christian message.
William gets a letter calling him back into service. Even though he served in Iraq, he is a reservist who can be called back, and this time he will serve in Afghanistan. Lisa isn't sure she can cope, but she is willing to try.
The problems for this family include the fact that the army doesn't pay as much as a civilian job. Lisa and Henry must move in with her abusive, racist father, who despite living in Honey Boo Boo's neighborhood seems to think "ghetto" is a bad thing. Henry's grandfather gets very angry if the boy listens to or performs that garbage. Also, the man next door wants to not only hit on Lisa but give her a "hit", if you know what I mean. She tries to resist, and she tries looking for a job, but life is hard.
There may be a way out. Henry learns of an "American Idol" type competition for Alabama teenagers.
Can Henry make it to the competition? Will he win? He certainly has the talent. The judges include country superstar Jimmy Knox, a redneck named Bubba (at least I think that was his name) and an uppity white woman. And Henry's musical taste isn't exactly what one would expect from a white boy from Alabama.
I won't give away the ending, but this movie honors those who serve our country in a very moving way.
The leading actors all do a good job here. Dash Mihok is a loving father who serves his country honorably. Nicki Aycox delivers an effective mix of vulnerability and drive. Uriah Shelton shows a lot of determination in the face of obstacles, and of course he can sing. Ruben Studdard does a fine job as a true man of God. I don't know the name of Henry's grandfather, but he is genuinely hateful and has no redeeming qualities. Still, that means a good performance.
This is a movie about music, but I will say the only music I enjoyed came from the 40-year-old pickup of Henry's grandfather. I agree with him about good music. Still, the singers and rappers in this movie do a good job even if their style is not my taste. We are not subjected to the really awful performers because the audio continues to come from Kymrence Young as the judges give bad news to pretty much everyone else.
I heard one bad word bleeped, and a racist term that could be heard on "All in the Family". And then there's the way Henry gets treated by his grandfather. There is another violent incident which the audience should enjoy. Let's not forget people who use. There are family values here, but it's not all good clean entertainment.
It's a worthwhile effort.
