Fighting Temptations

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BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="575"><div> The Fighting Temptations</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div>   3 Stars</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="575" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Cuba Gooding, Jr.                           Darrin Hill</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Beyoncé Knowles                            Lilly</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Wendell Pierce                                Reverend Lewis</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> LaTanya Richardson                       Paulina</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Steve Harvey                                   Miles (the DJ)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="575" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="575"><div> Directed by Jonathan Lynn. A romantic comedy with music. Rated PG-13 (for some sexual references). Paramount Pictures. Running time: 123 minutes.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div>  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Great music, great cast make film soar</B></FONT></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="575"><div>  </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> Audiences will not fight the feelings of joy, fun, or even a tear in the eye, as they watch this rousing new comedy, filled with great music. At the promotional screening I attended, folks let loose with laughter and applause. I heard the same from a couple of other reviewers who saw the film at other screenings. And did I mention the music? Traditional gospel shares the spotlight with the new gospel, featuring hip-hop beats and rap artists. Put it together and the message is the same. There's jazz with a blues flavor, sung in smoky bars. And the big bonus is the numbers are not interrupted with dialogue, or cut off mid-performance. We get to hear all the songs, all the way through! </div> <bR> <div> Cuba Gooding, Jr is Darrin, a young advertising exec, livin' large (and lyin') in NYC. His family background and college transcripts are all fabricated. When the lies come back to bite Darrin (you know where), his boss fires him, with the admonishment, "You broke the 11<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> commandment, `Thou shalt not get caught'."</div> <bR> <div> Darrin's Aunt Sally has died and he's called back home to Montecarlo, Georgia for her funeral. When he gets there, he encounters old memories and one very special friend from his youth, spent in the church choir. Lilly (the luminous Beyoncé), whom he asked to marry him on the church steps when they were about eight-years-old, is now a single mother, raising a young son; just as Darrin's mother had done.</div> <bR> <div> Aunt Sally, who was the church's choir director, has left stock, worth over $100,000, to Darrin, with a stipulation. He must lead the Beulah Baptist choir to the "Gospel Explosion" competition in Macon, Ga., with the winner taking home $10,000. He's got about two months, and he doesn't have much to work with, a quarrelsome, off-key group of would be singers. As Darrin tries to build a strong choir, with his eyes on the prize and the inheritance, he finds soulful resonance in some unlikely places.</div> <bR> <div> A wonderful supporting cast, which does work well as an ensemble allows this film to take wings. Steve Harvey, as the local DJ steals the most laughs. After a time or two all he had to do was show up on the screen and the audience started to chuckle. Wendell Pierce ("Brown Sugar," TV's "The Wire") allows his Reverend Lewis the dignity he deserves, while timidly giving in to his sister, the "holier than thou" Paulina, played wonderfully by LaTanya Richardson (TV's "100 Centre Street"). In a somewhat cliched role, Paulina never heard of "the milk of human kindness." Mike Epps ("Friday after Next") is totally believable as a small town player, hoping to catch some of Darrin's big city magic.</div> <bR> <div> Cuba brings his usual high energy to this performance. But there is an insightful intelligence to his character of Darrin. His pitch to the ad execs regarding the target market for "40's" (40 oz. beer) leads to his immediate promotion (just before his downfall), and plays well against the line he delivers near the end of the film to the same group. Beyoncé is not equal to the task here. Moving tentatively through her scenes, her acting falters at times. Her singing is flawless and she is beautiful, in a surprisingly fresh-faced way. </div> <bR> <div> Did I mention the music? The marvelous Shirley Caesar brought tears to my eyes (in the middle of this comedy) with her farewell song to Aunt Sally at her funeral. Anyone who has lost a loved one will understand. Others lending voice to the praise included Eddie Levert, Montell Jordan, T-Bone, and Melba Moore.</div> <bR> <div> About Aunt Sally; her full name is Sally Walker. I'm sure there are some sistahs out there who remember the childhood game and rhyme: "Little Sally Walker, sittin' in a saucer; rise, Sally, rise…." And that's just what this picture does, elevate you. You will leave the theater uplifted.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="681" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="677"><div> Pam Singleton © 2003</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="677"><div> <A HREF="mailto:pam@reelmoviecritic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:pam@reelmoviecritic.com"><U><B><U>pam@reelmoviecritic.com</U></B></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>