There’s something familiar about Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul., a dark comedy, drama, and mockumentary about a Southern Baptist power couple’s fall from grace.
Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall play Lee-Curtis and Trinitie Childs, the Pastor and First Lady of Wander to Greater Paths Baptist Church. At its peak, the megachurch counted over 20,000 members, but the film opens with Lee-Curtis and Trinitie trying to resurrect a church that’s been brought down by scandal.
The nature of that scandal isn’t fully revealed to viewers. Still, it’s the reason behind the film within the film as the Childs decide to hire a filmmaker to document their journey to reopen their church on Easter Sunday and regain the trust of their congregants.
Trinitie takes this opportunity to carefully curate their lives on film to ensure the couple is portrayed as selfless and caring faith leaders. But the cameras keep rolling and expose their struggles and not-so-wholesome moments.
The film bounces back and forth between scenes when the fictional filmmaker’s camera is on and off, which gives viewers a multi-dimensional, and often vulnerable look at Lee-Curtis and Trinitie’s characters.
The Childs’ over-the-top lifestyle is reminiscent of 1980s televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, which played out on the big screen in the 2021 drama The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Both were funded by donations from their followers, and both women faithfully stood by their husbands who were dogged by rumors of homosexuality.
The film is written, directed, and produced by Adamma Ebo, who sets the stage in her feature directorial debut for solid performances by both Brown and Hall. But it’s Hall’s emotional monologue in a scene near the film’s end that makes Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. a film worth watching.
Rated R for language and some sexual content, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. runs 1 hour and 42 minutes. Catch it now in theatres or streaming on Peacock.
