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Although “The Fighting Temptations” adheres to a formula in an easygoing manner, you are aware of this and don’t really care because it makes you feel good and laugh a lot. It’s kind of a musical and a close relative of “Barbershop,” and you can tell that the audience is really enjoying it. Despite being Beyonce Knowles’ first leading role, it isn’t awe-inspiring of her; it incorporates her into the narrative rather than merely having her in the foreground of every picture, and she comes across as friendly and empathetic.
Darrin, a New York advertising executive with origins in the Georgia hamlet of Montecarlo, portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. He comes home for the reading of his aunt Sally’s will, which leaves him $150,000 if he will lead the church choir and enter it in the yearly Gospel Explosion contest, just as he gets dismissed for fabricating his résumé. He stays in Georgia despite the fact that his credit cards maxed out and that creditors are after him. While there, he becomes entangled in church politics involving Paulina (LaTanya Richardson), the church treasurer.
She accused Darrin’s mother of being immoral since she performed in the neighborhood juke joint, which drove the mother and son out of town 20 years ago. She now opposes Darrin leading the choir or even staying in town, making her his enemy.
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The Fighting Temptations Movie Review
He is staying for a reason nevertheless. Not simply because he wanted by his creditors in New York, but also because he infatuated with the local singer Lilly (Beyonce Knowles). She was his childhood darling, and she now might be able to unlock both his heart and the gospel competition.
Darrin has a lot of work ahead of him. His efforts to enlist more members of the church choir fail because it is a small and untalented group. Steve Harvey portrays the local DJ who reads his job postings, which begin with stating that applicants who smoke or consume alcohol not required to apply and conclude by welcoming just about anyone, including heathens. When the warden (Faizon Love) claims that his prisoners can sing better than the choir during a humorous scene featuring a concert in the neighborhood prison, Darrin brightens up. Soon, three prisoners are singing in the choir while clad in handcuffs and their Sunday best orange convict outfits.
Gets involved in the Gospel Explosion the choir? Are Darrin and Lilly happy and in love? In a movie like this, which of course includes the necessary progression of temporary failure before ultimate victory, they aren’t really questions. But before it starts to be funny, the movie merely rides in on a preexisting narrative.
Like Humor in Barbershop
The humor in “The Fighting Temptations,” like the humor in “Barbershop,” focused on human nature rather than one-liners or insults. Usually, when a character says something amusing, it’s because it’s true. Many of the chuckles occur when characters express their dislike for one another in front of everyone.
Though the majority of the actors in “The Fighting Temptations” seasoned professionals, a curious thing occurs: In this drama, every single one of them seems like a genuine person, perhaps because they are portraying someone they knew or were when they were younger. LaTanya Richardson, for instance, has in more than 20 films (she married to Samuel L. Jackson in real life), yet when she plays Paulina, we don’t perceive a performance; instead, we sense a woman who is obstinate, unyielding, envious, and curious to see what happens next. The sequence where she starts to stalk out of church before changing her mind and sitting in a back pew has great body language.
Some White People in the Choir
Another pleasant, understated aspect of the film is the occasional appearance of white folks, who are not given much thought. There are some white people in the choir, as is frequently the case in real life, and when Darrin hires Scooter (Mickey Jones) as an organist, he’s white, bearded, and like a mountain man, but he really can play.
The soundtrack plays throughout the entire film, with some calmer pieces interspersed with more upbeat gospel music. Beyonce performs “Fever” when we first encounter her, and she subsequently excels at spirituals. After various supporting roles (including the most recent “Austin Powers” movie), we get to see her in a starring role here and get the impression that she can play tragic parts and need not always be a version of herself. I think it works well because there is no attempt to shove her own music into the film.
As it happens, I watched the film during a public preview. A real one, where the crowd paid the admission price to see the film, not because they had won permits from a radio station. It was nice to be surrounded by such positive energy. Although “The Fighting Temptations” is not particularly clever and occasionally shows the plot’s cogs grinding, it has the proper amount of heart and humor.
