Deitrick Haddon’s A Beautiful Soul Airs Dec. 22 and Christmas

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

On Saturday, December 22, TV One will celebrate the holiday season with the world television premiere of the Tyscot Film A Beautiful Soul, featuring Deitrick Haddon, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The film, directed by Jeffrey W. Byrd, stars Haddon as Andre “Dre” Stephens, a narcissistic R&B artist who loves the trappings of success, including fine food, fine drink, and fine women.  He treats the people around him like subjects who exist solely to serve his needs.  They, in turn, never tell the emperor about his new clothes, except Chris Scott, Dre’s best friend since their start as church kids.  Played marvelously by Robert Ri’chard, Chris tries to help Dre get his life together, even taking him to Bishop Noel Jones’ City of Refuge Church, but to no avail.  One gathers that the demons Dre contends with have deep roots in his past.

Halfway through, the film takes a Dickensian turn. Dre discovers what it means to “to gain the world and lose your soul,” as well as what he must do to change the story’s ending.

A Beautiful Soul is Haddon’s best film work to date.  He plays Dre with conviction and his exchanges with Chris are among the high points of the movie, as are the tear-jerking scenes between Dre and his mother, played by Golden Brooks.  Deitrick Haddon music buzzes throughout the film and concert scenes at the end will please Haddon’s fan base.

A Beautiful Soul will encore on Christmas Day, December 25, on TV One at 8:00 p.m. ET (check your local listings).  It makes sense, given the screenplay’s inferred references to two holiday classics, A Christmas Carol and It’s A Wonderful Life.