By TRESIXTY Editorial Staff
Starring: Ne-Yo, Serayah, Draya Michele · Where: BET+ (premiered Nov. 24, 2022) · Written & directed by: Booker T. Mattison · Based on: Tiffany L. Warren’s novel The Replacement Wife
Yes, we know. This one came out in 2022. We’re just now getting to it. That’s why it’s called the super late review. But it’s holiday-movie season again, and The Sound of Christmas is worth putting back on your list. Short version: it’s a good movie.
The setup
Serayah plays Montana, a down-on-her-luck music teacher who walks away from her boyfriend Rio because her faith matters more to her than the relationship does. A wealthy woman from her church, Estelle, hires her to help raise her two grandkids, Daniel and Deirdre. Their dad is Quentin (Ne-Yo), a billionaire widower who buried himself in work after losing his wife. Then there’s Chloe (Draya Michele), Quentin’s girlfriend. She’s waited three years for a ring, and she does not like how fast Montana is becoming part of the family. You can probably guess where it goes, and that’s fine. It’s a Christmas movie. The fun is in getting there.
The music gets better as it goes, and saves the best for last
The music is the best part of this movie. It starts out decent and gets stronger scene by scene, mixing gospel, hymns and Christmas songs. By the end it builds all the way up to the best song of the whole film, and it’s Ne-Yo’s. That last number is the payoff the whole movie has been building toward.
Which brings us to our one real question: where is the music? If there’s a soundtrack, we can’t find it. Put it out. We want more.
Serayah: a shaky start, then she delivered
Serayah starts off a little shaky, but she finds her footing and ends up performing like we know she can. Her singing isn’t the big belting kind, and it doesn’t need to be. Montana is a music teacher, not a diva, and the quieter, sincere way Serayah sings fits her. She also plays a woman of faith without getting preachy, and that’s harder to pull off than it looks.
Ne-Yo: excellent
For an artist who came up in music and not acting, Ne-Yo did excellent. He’s believable as a grieving dad who’s slowly letting people back in, and when he sings, you remember why he’s the headliner.
Draya Michele as Chloe
Draya gives Chloe more to work with than a typical “evil girlfriend.” Chloe is messy and goes too far, but the movie makes it clear she wasn’t born a villain. She’s someone who waited too long for something that wasn’t coming.
And Draya excelled in this role. Sure, some people will say she’s just playing herself. Say what you want, she did excellent.
The kids are a bonus
Daniel (Blake James) and Deirdre (Alijah Kai, in her acting debut) are a real asset. They’re funny and relatable, not annoying-precocious, and they can actually sing. A lot of the movie’s warmth comes from their scenes with Montana.
Faith, community and that church choir
The church scenes feel real. The movie shows the community that holds you up, and it also shows the members who love to gossip and judge. Christopher Martin also has some fun as Brother Odom, the smart-mouthed choir director.
Our one note
At the beginning, Montana’s bond with the kids felt more big sister than mother figure. The motherly feel just wasn’t there yet. It’s a small thing, and it gets better as the movie goes on, but we noticed it.
The verdict
The Sound of Christmas is a warm, faith-filled holiday movie with music that keeps getting better and an ending that’s worth the wait. Serayah comes through, Ne-Yo is excellent, and the kids steal a few scenes. Late or not, it’s worth a watch this season. Now somebody please drop that soundtrack.
