Praise This

2023 American film

Tina Gordon
Brandon Broussard
Hudson Obayuwana
Jana Savage

Story by

Brandon Broussard
Hudson Obayuwana
Jana Savage

Produced by

Will Packer
Tim Story
Sharla Sumpter Bridgett
James Lopez

Starring

Chloe Bailey
Tristan Mack Wilds
Druski
Birgundi Baker
Anjelika Washington
Quavo

CinematographySidney SidellEdited by

David Moritz
R.C. Hill

Music byJermaine Stegall

Production
companies

Universal Pictures
Will Packer Productions
The Story Company

Distributed byPeacock

Release date

April 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)

Running time

111 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Praise This is a 2023 American musical comedy romance film directed by Tina Gordon and starring Chloe Bailey and Anjelika Washington.

The film was released on April 7, 2023 by Peacock. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

After Sam was taken to Atlanta, Georgia by her father due to getting in trouble with the law in Los Angeles, she is forced to join the Praise Team as punishment for getting caught lying as going to her Aunt and Uncle.

Cast

Chloe Bailey as Sam, a rebellious aspiring singer-songwriter who joins her cousin’s Praise Team when moving to Atlanta
Anjelika Washington^[1] as Jess, Sam’s cousin and a member of her church’s Praise Team
Quavo as Ty, a popular rapper In Atlanta and Sam's potential love interest
Druski as Aaron “Big Love”, Sam’s good friend and a member of his church’s Praise Team
Koryn Hawthorne as Fallon, a gospel singer and opposing member of Sam’s Praise Team
Tristan Mack Wilds as P.G.
Kiara Iman Heffner as Jackie
Ilario Grant as Jermaine
Birgundi Baker as Melissa, the leader of the Praise Team
Loren Lott as Kelly
Jekalyn Carr as KiKi
Crystal Renee Hayslett as Natalie
Cocoa Brown as Cora
Vanessa Fraction as Prisilla
Michael Anthony as Bishop Headly
Kountry Wayne as Painted Duck DJ
Kendrick Cross as Uncle Larry
Janora McDuffie as Aunt Liz
Jayden Braddock as Church Goer (uncredited)

Production

In June 2019, it was announced Tina Gordon would be directing Praise This from an original pitch by Tim Story's The Story Company.^[2] In April 2022, Chloe Bailey had signed on to star in the film.^[3]

Release

In May 2022, it was announced the film would premiere on Peacock.^[4] The first trailer was released on March 6, 2023, revealing the release date of April 7, 2023.^[5]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 50% based on 10 reviews.^[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 44 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed reviews".^[7]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2023	Black Reel Awards	Outstanding TV Movie/Limited Series	Derryck Big Tank Thornton	Nominated	^[8]
		Outstanding Musical Score	Jermaine Stegall	Nominated
		Outstanding Production Design	Keith Brian Burns	Nominated
	Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Best Song - Onscreen Performance (Film)	"Praise Nationals Finale"	Nominated	^[9]
	UB Honors	Best Actress	Chloe Bailey	Pending
2024	Guild of Music Supervisors Awards	Best Music Supervision for a Non-Theatrically Released Film	Derryck Big Tank Thornton	Nominated	^[10]
	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special	Chloe Bailey	Won
	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special	Tina Gordon, Brandon Broussard, Hudson Obayuwana, Jana Savage, Camilla Blackett	Nominated

References

^ Grobar, Matt (July 7, 2022). "'Stargirl's Anjelika Washington, Migos Frontman Quavo, Druski & Tristan Mack Wilds Among Final 14 Set For Universal's Youth Choir Comedy 'Praise This'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (June 11, 2019). "Tina Gordon To Direct Universal Musical Comedy 'Praise This'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
^ Grobar, Matt (April 26, 2022). "Chloe Bailey To Star In Youth Choir Comedy 'Praise This' For Will Packer Productions & Universal Pictures; 'Little' Helmer Tina Gordon Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
^ "Peacock Will Get Bravo Shows Next-Day, NBCU Streamer Inks Lionsgate Movie Output Deal". Variety. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
^ Remley, Hilary (March 6, 2023). "'Praise This' Trailer: Chloe Bailey and Anjelika Washington Take the Lead in Musical Comedy". Collider. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
^ "Praise This - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
^ "Praise This", Metacritic, Fandom, Inc., retrieved 2023-06-14
^ Complex, Valerie (June 15, 2023). "Black Reel 7th Annual Television Awards featuring Gender Neutral Categories Announces Nominations; 'The Best Man: Final Chapters' leads with 18 noms". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
^ "Nominations unveiled for Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2023". Shoot Online. November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
^ Bechara, Diego Ramos (2024-01-22). "'Barbie' Leads Music Supervisors Guild Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-15.