Intended to be a surprising and spiritual journey the story plays out (and sings out) like GLEE in Harlem. Young Langston (Jacob Latimore) has been raised by his single mother (Jennifer Hudson) in Baltimore. But when finances reach an all-time strain, she has no choice but to ship her son off to the grandparents he never knew in Harlem.
En route he lets us know through song that “He envies happy families in the street but his unanswered prayers make him weak.” But his mother bestowed the name Langston Hughes, her favorite poet, who once said he’d “rather be a lamppost in Harlem than a governor of Georgia.” So through his namesake, young Langston will learn what’s really important in life.
Young Langston arrives at the home of his minister grandfather (Forrest Whitaker) and his grandmother (Angela Bassett) only to discover that not only are the clean-your-plate rules different, but they harbor a deep dark secret that has kept their daughter apart.
With the spirit of Christmas ascending and through a series of events, can Langston have the reunited family that he always dreamed of? The film is a lovely reflective movie about forgiveness but the secret is kept for so long that it makes our Pimp-Daddy Grandfather minister seem hypocritical to his very preaching.
Kasi Lemmons does an excellent job writing and directing and the soundtrack including Mary J. Blige who performs in the church is worthy of any holiday but only garnishes 2 ½ tiaras.