Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
Focus Features | Release Date: September 2, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
12
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenAug 31, 2022
Hall’s performance is remarkable, full of shadings and intimations of significant emotional depths. Read full review
91
ColliderChase HutchinsonSep 2, 2022
While it is undeniably a character study with both the actors at the very top of their game, the story itself is perfectly suited for them to shine. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesSarah-Tai BlackSep 2, 2022
A first feature that is fresh as it is concise, “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” presents a toothy vision of evangelical life without losing sight of the feeling that remains when the facade of it all finally falls. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattSep 2, 2022
Honk for Jesus shares a lot of Tammy Faye's small-screen feel and sense for winky episodic comedy; like that movie too, it's held together by the tensile strength of the petite, bedazzled female at its center. Awards-season gold probably won't strike twice in a row for pastor's wives, but Hall deserves some kind of prize for the soul she pours into this part. Read full review
83
IndieWireKate ErblandJan 26, 2022
Featuring stars Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown doing predictably divine work (do these two performers know any other way?), “Honk for Jesus” is equal parts hilarious and painful, an incisive upbraiding of the sorts of people who should have long ago realized no one — especially nattily attired pastors — is above God. Read full review
80
The New York TimesLisa KennedySep 1, 2022
Regina Hall is a wonder as the woman who stands by her man for a mash-up of reasons, not least being the elevated position the title first lady confers. Read full review
80
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiFeb 1, 2022
The film’s characters are human and, while they’re afforded depth and nuance, Ebo isn’t interested in coddling them or excusing Lee-Curtis’ behavior. And it’s in the balanced exploration of characters and religious hypocrisy, the blending of the facetious with the serious that makes the film worth the watch. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonSep 2, 2022
When Ebo concentrates on the satirical aspects that mock the hypocrisy she’s exposing, “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” hilariously fires on all cylinders. It’s when the film tries to juggle the darker aspects that its seams start to show. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 31, 2022
Played as a satire, it offers far too few genuine laughs, and we’re left somewhere between mockumentary and depressing character study. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubLeigh MonsonAug 31, 2022
At its most powerful, Adamma Ebo’s film is an empathetic indictment of a culture that has evolved—and perhaps mutated— from intercommunity support toward the asphyxiating glorification of gaudy figureheads. Read full review
75
Original-CinJim SlotekAug 30, 2022
With its themes of the superficiality of arena-sized hallelujahs and the worship of riches, Honk for Jesus: Save Your Soul is a terrific platform for some solid actors to strut their sanctimonious stuff. Read full review
75
The PlaylistRobert DanielsJan 26, 2022
Through Brown and especially Hall’s fully committed performances, scenes like this and “bless your heart,” which move in both potent and profound ways, gives the ropiness of Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. enough depth to pray for the arrival of Ebo’s next feature. Read full review
70
SlashfilmBarry LevittFeb 19, 2023
It's a story that feels equal parts ludicrous and lived-in, and it's a promising debut for Ebo, and I hope we'll be hearing plenty more from her in the future. If you're still looking for evidence that Regina Hall is one of our finest working actors, look no further. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicAlexis PotterSep 7, 2022
You don't need to be religious to enjoy the film, but anyone who grew up in "the church" will especially appreciate the subtleties. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneK. Austin CollinsSep 6, 2022
Honk for Jesus is a fine, often funny movie about the moral hypocrisy of the church and an even better movie about a woman forced to endure looking like a fool, an outright clown, because of her husband. Read full review
70
Film ThreatNorman GidneyJan 26, 2022
Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul is a wicked read of religion and a showcase of comic talent. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonJan 26, 2022
Sometimes the comedy is too broad, sometimes the targets are too easy, but this acting duo repeatedly reach for something deeper in the material, leaving the viewer uncertain if their characters are manipulators or true believers. Read full review
65
CNNBrian LowrySep 2, 2022
While “Honk for Jesus” isn’t a perfect movie, give it praise for at least being an interesting one. Read full review
63
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenSep 1, 2022
Make no mistake, Hall is terrific—sharply comic in the broader scenes, while also allowing little glimpses of Trinitie’s inner turmoil before she shuts them away behind her “first lady” facade. Brown, however, vacuums up the movie in a way that’s both entrancing and entirely true to the complicated character he’s playing. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 1, 2022
The deeper into this story that the movie gets and the darker things turn, the more we see this tale the way the stars do — as a tragedy only in the eyes of its two main characters. Brown and Hall elevate this low-hanging-fruit simply because they have to. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliAug 31, 2022
The movie is at times funny, at times blistering, and at times insightful, but it lacks consistency, thereby arguing that perhaps the short film that provided its basis offered a better length. Read full review
60
TimeStephanie ZacharekSep 2, 2022
There’s almost too much going on in Honk for Jesus. The film jumps from one thematic thread to another without exploring any of them thoroughly, and even so, some sequences go on longer than they should. Read full review
60
TheWrapSimon AbramsJan 26, 2022
A strong ensemble cast, led by Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall, does a lot of emotional heavy lifting in the otherwise lightweight mockumentary Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 26, 2022
Writer-director Adamma Ebo’s indie comedy (produced by sister Adanne) should tickle those who share her skepticism of organized religion — especially the profit-oriented variety — but doesn’t go much deeper than the 15-minute short film on which it’s based. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenJan 26, 2022
Hall and Brown are a glorious kick to watch, their physicality at times bordering on slapstick. Read full review
59
Paste MagazineJacob OllerJan 26, 2022
Like its muddy multi-movie gamble, the ideas are there for Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. But like its characters, it’s happy to follow the path of least resistance. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Jen ChaneySep 2, 2022
The movie Honk for Jesus: Save Your Soul belongs to Regina Hall. By the end, she has seized it with both hands thanks to a performance that, especially in the film’s second half, is explosive, multi-layered and, unfortunately, much more purposeful than the film itself. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeMark FeeneySep 1, 2022
Formally, mockumentary is something of a cliché, as is intercutting of news coverage. That’s not great. It’s worse when the clichés aren’t just stylistic. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanAug 31, 2022
Yes, “Honk” picks some low-hanging fruit. But it also, as it turns out, leaves a sour aftertaste in the mouth. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleSarah JaneAug 31, 2022
It’s a fascinating world to explore; I just wish Honk for Jesus had done a better job in doing it. Read full review
50
The Associated PressJake CoyleAug 31, 2022
Honk for Jesus in the end doesn’t aim for anything like the madcap parody of, say, HBO’s riotous “The Righteous Gemstones,” but it may have been more successful if it took the approach of “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” and kept its camera glued to the first lady of the church. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJosh WiseAug 30, 2022
After a while, you want to know what line of inquiry the film is pursuing—what greater paths it’s wandered to. Read full review
50
The Film StageJohn FinkJan 28, 2022
Having two terrific stars front and center isn’t nearly enough when they’re only given permission to run wild in this small of a playground. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithSep 3, 2022
The film is painfully slow from the beginning, then really starts to drag as it reveals that it essentially has no plot. A late turn to drama makes a bad film even worse. May Mr. Brown and Ms. Hall quickly move on to more rewarding roles. The way this movie squanders their talents is a sin. Read full review
20
The GuardianAndrew LawrenceSep 2, 2022
Black church is all about feeling – the building, the people, the message. But Honk has none of that soul. At best, the film is an abstract commentary on a culture it doesn’t fully understand; at worst, it’s half-hearted creative license. And at this late stage, sadly, not even Jevus could save it. Read full review
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