Review: The Fighting Temptations (**)

THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): **


It is a shame to say but true nonetheless. The likeable Cuba Gooding Jr.
has become just like the gratingly annoying David Spade. When you see
either name associated with a movie, you can bet that the movie will be bad.
THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS comes close to violating that rule. Unlike
Gooding's last picture, BOAT TRIP, his latest does have some nice parts in
it. But the good sections of the story are the gospel music numbers, which
the film allows to be sung in their entirety and which have little to do
with Gooding, other than his hamming it up as a choir director. His
performance detracts rather than adds to those scenes. When the film isn't
singing, however, it is a low energy production that is as flat as a
pancake. It's also way too long, filled with needless characters and
trivial subplots.



As Darren, a man who has lied his way through life, Gooding plays a
slaphappy guy who is always one step away from disaster. When we first meet
the adult Darren, he is a junior executive at an advertising agency. His
big pitch to a liquor company is that they should start making money by
brewing up malt liquor to be targeted at African-Americans.



Earlier we watch as Darren and his mother leave a Georgia Baptist church
after his mother is asked to give up singing the devil's -- a.k.a.
popular -- music if she is to continuing singing in the church choir. After
the adult Darren is caught in one of his prevarications and is fired, he
goes back to Georgia for the reading of his great Aunt Sally's will. She
leaves him $150,000 in stock on condition that he lead the small town's
rag-tag church choir and that he get it into the Gospel Explosion contest.
In order to do this, Darren recruits everyone from the local barbershop
quartet to some guests of the state penitentiary. The new singers come with
their own small stories to tell, and none of them are worth hearing.



The only part of the casting that really works is that of singer Beyoncé
Knowles, last seen as Austin Powers's female sidekick in AUSTIN POWERS IN
GOLDMEMBER. She is a lovely delight with a sweet little smile, irresistible
charms and a voice like honey.



After an awkward attempt at a serious message, the movie ends at the big
competition, where the predictable plot comes to its logical conclusion.
What I've concluded is that Gooding's career has sunk so low that he is no
longer offered decent material. And, if he were, I'm not sure if he would
still be up to it.



THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS runs about two hours. It is rated PG-13 for "some
sexual references" and would be acceptable for kids around 8 and up.



My son Jeffrey, age 14, gave it **, saying that he liked the musical numbers
but that the movie went on a full half hour too long and had too many
subplots. He thought the comedy was good but that the film needed more of
it.



The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, September 19,
2003. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC and the Century
theaters.



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