Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Beyoncé Knowles, Mike Epps, LaTanya Richardson, Wendell Pierce, Steve Harvey
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Producers: David Gale, Loretha C. Jones, Benny Medina, Jeff Pollack
Screenplay: Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson
Cinematography: Affonso Beato
U.S. Distributor: Dreamworks
The Fighting Temptations is a perfect example of a film that does one thing exceptionally well and another exceptionally poorly. The movie's musical sequences, which primarily feature popularized versions of gospel standards, are exhilarating and energetic. Unfortunately, that's only half the story, because the so-called dramatic material, which links together all the musical numbers, is mind-numbingly bad. It wouldn't be so galling if it was merely formulaic, but it's also horrendously acted and idiotically scripted - a clear indication that the filmmakers were unconcerned about everything except the songs. However, in this two-hour movie, there's at least 75 minutes of talking, and, when none of it is worth hearing, that creates something of a problem.
Darrin Hill (Cuba Gooding Jr.) plays a big-time New York City advertising agent who is forced to return to his rural Southern roots when his only living relative, Aunt Sally (Ann Nesby), dies. Darrin's first impulse is to quickly pay his respects then get back to New York, until he finds out that his aunt has left him an inheritance. Since he has recently lost his job and is in serious debt, he needs the money. But Aunt Sally's stock shares come with a catch: he has to reconstitute the church's choir and lead them to the "Gospel Explosion" competition. Initially, Darrin doesn't have much to work with, but, after recruiting a local barber shop group (the O'Jays), a beautiful night club singer named Lily (Beyoncé Knowles), and a few prisoners, he had the raw talent necessary to win - if he can put it all together. But there's friction within in the person of Paulina Pritchett (LaTanya Richardson), a shrewish ex-choir member who wants Darrin's position.
The casting of Beyoncé Knowles is emblematic of the film's central flaw. Knowles shines when she's performing as a singer, whether it's solo or as a member of the choir. As an actress, however, she is flat and unconvincing, often delivering lines without conviction. Consequently, she's completely believable as a bluesy lounge singer (her rendition of "Fever" is a highlight), but her there's no heat when her character is romancing Darrin. She was a disappointment in Austin Powers in Goldmember, and hasn't improved since (at least as a thespian).
For Cuba Gooding Jr., winning the Best Supporting Actor award for Jerry Maguire turned out to be a career-killer. Before the 1997 ceremony, he was in the midst of a nice little run. Since then, he has become an indicator of movies to avoid: Chill Factor, Pearl Harbor, Rat Race, Snow Dogs, Boat Trip. The Fighting Temptations is probably his best work since the preachy Men of Honor, but it's hard to reconcile the man playing Darrin with the actor who captivated audiences in Boyz 'N the Hood.
While the chief pleasure to be had from The Fighting Temptations comes from the musical sequences, funny man Steve Harvey's monologues as a local DJ offer their share of chuckles. Harvey isn't at his best here, but his material is amusing enough to offer occasional breaks from the syrupy melodrama of Darrin re-connecting with his roots and establishing a romance with Lily. Real-life musicians and singers ranging from the O'Jays to Melba Moore to Lil' Zane round out the cast. (Excepting Knowles, none of them are really asked to act.)
The director is Jonathan Lynn, who specializes in these kinds of improbable, feel-good movies. His resume also includes My Cousin Vinny, Trial and Error, and the recent The Whole Nine Yards. None of those films, however, was as shameless in courting an obvious trajectory to a happy ending. Had the movie concentrated more on the music and less on the one-dimensional characters and their lackluster circumstances, it might have been a solidly enjoyable example of light entertainment. As it is, however, it's Sister Act warmed over.
© 2003 James Berardinelli