‘Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.’ Depicts The Fanfare Of The Black Church [Review]

The depiction of the church, specifically the Black community and church has been the pun of jokes for years. In the 1996 comedy film “Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood,” many Black film troupes were the source material for making the film such a laughable work of art, but one scene, in particular, came to mind when I first saw the trailer for “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.”

In a brief church scene, Lester Barrie, who is currently the Senior Pastor of the Bible Believers Missionary Baptist Church in Lakewood, CA, played a stereotypical Black preacher in one of the most iconic and memorable scenes from “Don’t Be A Menace…” I know many people who don’t go to church for the very reasons depicted in the clip. They feel church is filled with hypocritical people and Mega Churches are used as a way for money-hungry individuals to profit off religion. Many of those elements show up in “”Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.”

Back in 2019, the short film “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” was featured as part of Issa Rae’s HOORAE Media #ShortFilmSundays, a space for creatives of all kinds to share their stories. Written and directed by Adamma Ebo and produced by Adanne Ebo, “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” followed Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs (Theodus Crane) and first lady Trinity Childs (Brittany Bellizeare) of a Southern Baptist Mega Church attempting to rebuild their congregation and repair their reputation in the aftermath of a huge scandal that continues to test their faith and marriage.

The Ebo Twins are back in their creative roles for the fully fleshed-out feature film “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” which follows the same premise as the short but this time stars Sterling K. Brown as Lee-Curtis Childs and Regina Hall as Trinitie Childs. While rebuilding their congregation for Wander to Greater Paths Baptist Church, the Childs’ are faced with a roadblock when competing church Heaven’s House  – run by Pastors Keon and Shakura Sumpter (Conphidance and Nicole Beharie) – strategically plan to make sure they never reopen.

In “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” Lee-Curtis hires a film crew to document Wander to Greater Paths Baptist Church’s road to reopening so the film switches back and forth between mockumentary style and what’s actually in the lives of the characters. Although the film is structured as a satirical comedy there are heavy themes in the movie that spans sexuality, duty in marriage, self-love, faith, and more.

Photo: Steve Swisher – © 2021 Pinky Promise LLC

I didn’t hate this film, but I also didn’t love it either. I could fully recognize the type of church people that were being represented with the satire presented and probably would have appreciated a film like this more if I attended church, but I found it to be a long-winded depiction of what the short already accomplished. I think the short of “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Save.” did a good enough job at telling the story of the Childs but seeing Sterling K. Brown in an unhinged role outside of his more serious notable This Is Us Randall Pearson character was a treat. In one particular scene Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck” is used and it was one of the most stand-out scenes for me.

Photo: Steve Swisher – © 2021 Pinky Promise LLC

Regina Hall’s performance was the perfect balance of comedy and earnestness. I really do feel Hall is one of the best comedic actresses and her slapstick cadence flows so naturally in this role. By the end of the film, you felt for her character Trinitie because she really was running on faith. No one was looking out for her and it’s a reality so many women go through in relationships. I will say I was utterly confused by the ending. I saw “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Save.” in a screening earlier this week so I’m glad I have a streaming option to watch the film again to hopefully get a better understanding of the conclusion.

Overall, I think if you’re a #Churchgirl then you’ll find this movie relatable and if you aren’t I’m sure you’ll be able to pinpoint the fanfare depicted in the Black church. “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Save.” comes to theaters and streams on Peacock Friday, September 2.

Watch the official trailer for “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Save” in the clip below. Will you be checking out this film? If you have already what did you think about the ending? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Photo: Steve Swisher – © 2021 Pinky Promise LLC