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| With its upbeat music, talent from virtually every genre in the musical spectrum, and double-or-nothing attitude, The Fighting Temptations offers unique (and uplifting) insight into the poignant power of "home." |
(2003) Film Review by Jenn Wright |
| This page was created on September 8, 2003
This page was last updated on
January 4, 2005
—Review
—Interview with Mickey Jones
—Trailers, Photos
—Photos, pt 2
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections
—Forum
Dial up modems will take a few moments |
| CREDITS |
|  Directed by Jonathan Lynn
Story by Elizabeth Hunter
Screenplay by Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson
Producers
David Gale ... producer
Loretha C. Jones ... producer
Benny Medina ... producer
Jeff Pollack ... producer
Van Toffler ... executive producer
Cast - in credits order
Nigel Washington ... Little Darrin
Chloe Bailey ... Little Terri
Ann Nesby ... Aunt Sally Walker
Faith Evans ... Maryann Hill
Melba Moore ... Bessie Cooley
Ricky Dillard ... Choir Director
Reverend Shirley Caesar¹ ... Herself
LaTanya Richardson ... Paulina Pritchett
Wendell Pierce ... Reverend Lewis
Lou Myers ... Homer T.
 Cuba Gooding Jr. ... Darrin Hill
Lourdes Benedicto ... Rosa Lopez
Richie Dye ... Private Investigator
Dakin Matthews ... Mr. Fairchild
Wilbur Fitzgerald ... L&G Representative
Daphne Duplaix ... Tiffany
Enoch King ... Man Playing Poker
Jill Jane Clements ... Train Attendant
Mike Epps ... Lucius
Steve Harvey ... Miles Smoke
Beyoncé Knowles ... Lilly
James E. Gaines ... Lilli's Grandfather
Mitchah Williams ... Jimmy B.
Vince Canlas ... Simon
Nicky Buggs ... Sarah
Rue McClanahan ... Nancy Stringer
Angie Stone ... Alma
Dave Sheridan ... Bill
Lou Walker ... Man in Church
Bilal ... Nightclub Singer
Cinematographers by Affonso Beato
Editored by Paul Hirsch
USA / PG-13 / 123 min
This film has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for some sexual references.
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM, and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG |
| TRAILERS AND CLIPS |
| —Trailers |
| CD |
Fighting Temptations
Various Artists - Soundtrack - 2003
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| POSTER |
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| SYNOPSIS |
 When slick-talking New York City advertising executive Darrin Hill travels back to his small hometown of Monte Carlo, Georgia, to claim the inheritance
his Aunt Sally left him, he finds he must fulfill her last wish before he can collect -- create a gospel choir and lead it to success. But with a town full of tin ears and a shortage of singers, Darrin is about ready to give up and head back to the city where he belongs…until he runs into Lilly. A beautiful nightclub singer with a voice that could rock the competition at the annual Gospel Explosion, Lilly is just the miracle Darrin is looking for…. if he can persuade her to
sing.
Starring Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Grammy winner Beyoncé Knowles, The Fighting Temptations is a rousing, music-driven ensemble comedy and non-stop entertainment for audiences of all generations. |
 REVIEW
By Jenn Wright
Contributing Editor |
|  With its upbeat music, talent from virtually every genre in the musical spectrum, and double-or-nothing attitude, The Fighting Temptations offers unique (and uplifting) insight into the poignant power of "home." We leave the film asking ourselves: What is home? What drives
some people to escape from home, while others endure all kinds of pain rather than risk leaving? Is home simply the place from which we can trace our familial or historical roots? If it's not a specific place, how can we know when we are moving toward -- or away from -- home? And how do we know when we've arrived? Darrin Hill (Gooding, Jr.) left home a long time ago - a small-town Prodigal Son desperate to reinvent
himself. It doesn't matter how -- lies (both pragmatic and utterly inane), copious debt, flashy friends, big-city surroundings, more lies, shameless schmoozing. he is determined to be someone else, at any cost. So when he's called back to his hometown to settle his recently-deceased aunt's affairs, he can't wait to get what's coming to him and escape (again).
 However, toss a $150,000 inheritance and a beautiful woman into the picture, and he might consider hanging around just long enough to float a few small-town shams and see what he can get out of it.
You see, Darrin is used to lies -- about who he is, what he does, whom he knows, what he knows. In fact, Darrin is so used to lies that maybe he's even forgotten how to tell the truth -- or what the truth is. At the time of his aunt's death, his big-city life is falling apart, his corporate-ladder-climbing fabrications have caught up with him, and his only chance to save himself is to stick around and try to "win" that $150,000 inheritance. So it's no surprise that he uses every trick
up his sleeve to recruit some choral talent, including the beautiful, soulful, nightclub siren Lilly (Knowles). After all, freedom can be gained through winning -- winning the girl, winning the contest, winning the money. Once he's done all that, he can go back to winning on the corporate front, and maybe even win back some of the respect and trust he has lost.
But that means staying "home," at least for a little while.
 So he stays, and while his motivations are less than pure, he pours his heart and soul into developing the choir into a punchy, energetic music machine (be careful not to jostle your neighbor while dancing in your seat at the theater). And once he decides to try to win the Gospel Explosion, there's no
turning back -- it's all-or-nothing. Likewise, once he decides to try some honesty -- with himself as well as the people at "home" -- he discovers a certain freedom in what he once saw as the "captivity" of the truth.
 There is a definite tension brought to life in this film, the tension between Home as a haven of safety and freedom, and Home as a place of prison-like confinement. Darrin, for instance, flees from the perceived captivity of home early on, but whether he flees to freedom or to a different kind of captivity
could be a matter of some debate. On the other hand, Lilly enjoys the liberating, unconditional love and support of her aged grandfather, yet stolidly endures the unyielding scorn and virtual exile by the Christian townsfolk over her "worldly" music career and single motherhood.
The prison parallel itself is brought to the forefront when three shackled inmates are allowed snippets of freedom from the penitentiary in order to participate in the church choir. The shackle imagery -- the sense of incomplete freedom, of being let out yet still being restricted by something -- further emphasizes the tensions of home, while spotlighting the freedom Darrin is discovering, slowly, by just being himself.
 Like the proverbial Prodigal Son, Darrin starts out by believing that leaving home behind will somehow make him a different person, will free him from his identity. To that end, he is willing to do anything to avoid that restricting, confining, imprisonment called Truth. And he is willing to do anything
to avoid the place where Truth resides -- Home. But as time passes and he begins to face the truth about himself, he discovers that "home" isn't what he thought it was -- and neither is he. What he really wants to be is not some powerful executive, but who he really is -- who he is most free to be -- at home. The film's tagline tells us that "the one thing that never changes is the place called home..." And perhaps
the most powerful element of home is the change that it is able to effect in each of us.
|
 Reviw by MIKE FURCHES
mike@furches.org
Web sitewww.furches.org
Mike is the Senior Pastor at United at the Cross Community Church in Wichita Kansas. United at the Cross is a church made up of individuals not often accepted in other churches. The church consists of former gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes and others. Mike also speaks nationally on various topics and is a freelance writer. To learn more about Mike and his ministry link onto www.furches.org. In the arts Mike has worked with top music artists
such as Steppenwolf, Marshall Tucker Band, Kansas and has an active interest in film. |
This was a movie that I originally had serious concerns about, after all what could MTV productions bring to a movie, especially a movie that had as a part of its central backdrop a choir in the church? Boy, oh Boy was I ever wrong on my first assumptions. I should have listened to my sociology teacher in college who taught me about assumptions.
The primary ingredient that influenced me to see the movie was an interview with Christian Rapper ( I hate saying that, he is just a rapper who is a Christian) T-Bone on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association web site passageway. The link to that particular interview is: Interview with T-Bone. T-Bone has always been one of my favorite rappers and I had had no idea that he was
in the movie. I really was not a huge fan of Beyonce Knowles and had been let down by some recent performances by Cuba Gooding Jr. However, after reading the interview with T-Bone and finding out that he was in the movie I was off to the movie theater within 2 hours.
To say the least I was pleasantly surprised and moved by this movie The Fighting Temptations. The movie addresses as many issues related to the church as any movie I have seen in a long time. The music is just smack down fun and inspirational and the story line, while simple has so much to say to the church and those seeking spiritual answers in life.
The movie starts out observing an old Southern Church influenced largely by African American Culture. It isn't long before the music is jumping and the audiences feet are moving and heads swaying to the music. Things couldn't get much better when you soon realize that one of the bit roles in the movie is Gospel Great Shirley Caesar. She is not the only one though with a background in music. There is of course as you know by now, T-Bone, but there is also The O'Jays, Melba Moore, Montel
Jordan, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Levert, Lil Zane and I could go on and on. To expect great acting of this movie would be to leave out the obvious talents of the characters involved, their music. I must say though, that while the acting was not on the caliber of Citizen Cane, it was enjoyable and the characters did a good and believable job at reaching out and touching the audience with all varieties of emotion.
The story is simple enough, a church has issues with "sinners", runs many of them off and some of the children grow up to return to the church. Along the way Darrin Hill, a present day con man played by Cuba Gooding Jr. returns home to his Aunts funeral. Darrin has left the church as a small boy when his own mother was run off for singing in nightclubs. He has a girl friend, Lilly, played by Beyonce Knowles who is also now a single mother, singing at nightclubs and thus banned from the
church. It is amusing to see many comments by Christians about this movie, saying things like what kind of a positive role can she play, playing the part of a single mom. I find it humorous because the movie portrays perfectly the views that many in the church have towards these very types of people that Jesus loved and criticized the church for their desire to stone them. While Jesus truly built bridges, many within the church are still desiring to throw stones. Unfortunately, for many
of those they may never see the love that is displayed or the power that Christ still has to change people's lives.
It isn't long after his return to the small town that Darrin discovers that if he can put the choir together and win a regional contest that he will win what he believes to be his Aunt's million-dollar-estate. Therefore, he puts on the scheme technique thinking it is easy money, especially since he is under the impression that Shirley Caesars Choir is the church choir. What he finds out though is that the choir only has a few people in it and most of them couldn't carry the proverbial
tune in a bucket. It is then that Darrin decides to recruit whoever including people from the local barbershop to the nightclub singer he has loved in some ways since his youth, Lilly. In some ways, what happens for the remainder of the script could seem like a remake of Sister Act and Sister Act 2 but in reality, some of the concepts addressed are more real and important for the church to pay attention to than what occurred in the Sister Act movies.
The Fighting Temptations is filled with scenes that show God's grace and love, yes even for sinners. It also is filled with the obvious hypocrisies and ignorance of the church related to those individuals. There is one scene where some of the local prison guards bring some of the local prisoners, including T-Bone and Montel Jordan to choir practice and one of the super religious women of the church comments on guns not being allowed in church. The new organ player, played by wonderful
character actor and Christian, Mickey Jones, pulls out a gun from his pants, placing it on the organ and states that someone should have told him about it being against the rules. I loved this scene because it, among others, shows how we in the church often assume that people know the basics about how to follow God. Mickey Jones character Scooter, nails this perception and all through the movie we see subtle changes in his and everyone else's characters.
The unfortunate truth is that they don't know about the things we judge them on unless we are there to tell them. Fortunately this movie gets it right, with a little love, and direction, they are often able to come to recognize these things on their own without all of the condemnation that we so often throw their way. How we tell them can have a dramatic impact on how they receive the message. I know this to be all to true from my own experiences in life. It is for that reason that I am
glad that this movie nails that concept to the floor, and characters like Scooter would be welcome in the church I pastor or one that serves Jesus Christ any time. Thankfully, they would also be understood at the church I pastor because our church is filled with Scooters. The challenge is for traditional churches to make the effort to understand the people of this world. In The Fighting Temptations, each character represents those people, people often neglected and forgotten about by the
church because they just don't fit into our environment.
Are there spiritual references in this film? You bet they are, from forgiveness to baptism the movie is loaded, and the great thing is that it is loaded in such a way that those who are not Christians will not be offended by the movie. There are many people who are not Christians that are speaking about the movie, its feel good nature, and important lessons. It is a movie that Christians can take their friends to that isn't Christian and have great, natural discussions about Christ, his
forgiveness and the power to change. How good is it? Well it will be one of the first movies that the church I pastor will be taking the congregation to see this Sunday afternoon. The illustrations of great music, and the incorporation of that music into the church, as well as the importance of loving and letting the love of the church and the power and love of Christ be the tool that reaches people is so obvious. I have already made strong recommendations that all of my worship team is
there to see this movie, the illustrations and impact may be from a movie but they show what will work for the church.
Technically, this movie is sound. The cinematography and set designs are wonderful and there hasn't been as many wonderful character actors fill the screen in a long time. Cuba Gooding Jr and Beyonce Knowles are wonderful on screen together and while there is not a deep plot, it is a fun story with redeeming value. There is also social commentary as to how the African American community is targeted in real life in a real way by marketing campaigns designed to destroy the community. Kudos
to Cuba for taking on this role where this type of social comment can slip in to the audience.
I must also comment on my man T-Bone. It is hilarious to look at many of the review sites like IMDB and see people all talking about the rap between Montel, Lil' Zane, and T-Bone (the "white dude.") It is about time T-Bone got the credit he deserves, it is a shame that he has been stuck in the Christian market because he really does have, "The Mad Skills." One comment though, T-Bone as he mentions in one of his own raps is a "Crazy Hispanic." His skills fit into the movie nicely along
with all of the cast and the incorporation of Urban, Rap, R&B and Gospel is just, well, just "there." This has to be one of the best sound tracks to come around since O Brother Where Art Thou and it could have that type of an impact. It is a shame if churches don't promote the movie, despite some of the opening scenes with a focus on Bootyliciousness it is a fun, and fairly clean movie with redeeming values. It is a movie I would highly recommend but then again, you have already been able
to see that.
On a scale of 1 - 10, For a hopping, jumping, hand clapping, toe tapping, head shaking, heart pounding, inspirational, lifting, laughter filled, soul searching, motivational, good time. I'll give this one a great 8 |
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