The Fighting Temptations DVD Review:

Fired from his advertising job, riddled with credit card debuts and all his worldly belongings been repossessed, Darrin Hill’s (Gooding Jr) life couldn’t get any worse. That is until he gets a letter that his only living relative Aunt Sally has died. Returning to his hometown of Monte Carlo, Georgia for the funeral, he discovers that his Aunt has left him over $150,000 but there is a condition, he has to lead the church choir to the state Gospel Exposition contest. The problem is that the church hasn’t got much of a choir to sing about.

Mixing romantic comedy with music could have had hit written all over it but The Fighting Temptations baptises you in predictability and sugar sweet sentimentality.

There is no argument over the infectious sound of gospel music and it that sweet sound that is the saving grace of the movie. Without the strong vocal performances from the eclectic choir, the movie would be exposed for the sinful mess of predictability is truly is.

Cuba Gooding Jr’s career continues on its downward spiral. Every since his Oscar winning performance in Jerry Maguire his movie choices haven’t been the best. From Snow Dogs to Rat Race and Boat Trip to Instinct, one disaster follows another. He is a talented actor but he just needs to work with some decent filmmakers and sack his agent, if his career is ever going to get back on track.

Beyoncé Knowles ascendancy to superstardom continues with another fine performance however. She makes the movie a lot more watchable than it should be with her astounding good looks and angelic voice. Adding acting to her plethora of talents, Beyoncé shows that there are no bounds to her talent and she could be one of the few singers to transverse the divide between music and film.

The rest of the choir is filled with musical stars, known more in the US than anywhere else that bring a lot of diversity to the ensemble. Performers like Shirley Caesar, Faith Evans, Angie Stone, Melba Moore, Ann Nesby, The O'Jays, Montell Jordan, T-Bone and Zane all add to the vocal stylings of the movie and make the musical numbers standout.

The over predictability of the plot is the major sin, stopping any chance of it getting into movie heaven. You know exactly what is going to happen as soon as the film starts but it is coated in such a thick layer of sugar that your head will start to hurt and your teeth will ache with the sweetness. You may even be sick.

If you love Beyoncé and gospel music or you have a hankering for the sweet stuff then you might be entertained by The Fighting Temptations. For everyone else, you might want to pray to God to save Cuba Gooding Jr’s career.

Star Rating = * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, the picture and sound quality are first rate, as you’ expect from a modern transfer. The picture quality is crystal clear, with the strong colours of the rustic Georgia town showing through. For a film that is predominating about the music, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track is fantastic, especially during the choir sequences and the finale. The dialogue is also very clear during the conversational moments.

BONUS FEATURES

Extended Music Numbers (30.23 mins)

You can now watch these eight musical numbers in full. Tracks include…
“Heaven knows” performed by Faith Adams.
“Everything I do” performed by Beyoncé and Bilal.
“Love me like a rock” performed by The O’Jays. “Down by the River/To da River” performed by The O’Jays, T-Bone, Zane and Montell Jordan.
“Darrin leads the choir/Rain down” performed by Angie Stone and Eddie Levert with backing vocals by Walter Williams Sr, Melba Moore, Montell Jordan, Zane and T-Bone
”Soldier” performed by The Blind Boys of Alabama

“Waiting” performed by Ramiyah

“Won’t ever change” performed by Mary, Mary

Extended Scenes (12.33 mins)

Entitled “One way to the funeral”, “Rounding up the Choir”, “Lucius talks about booty”, Jimmy B and Briggs”, “Darrin Breakdances to ‘Time to come home’ performed by Beyoncé, Angie Stone and Melba Moore”, “Darrin and Lucius in the car” and “Reed takes Darrin for a taxi ride”, these seven extended and deleted scenes do add to the movie. The “Rounding up of the Choir” really should have been included as it shows how Darrin recruited some of the other members of the choir.

Theatrical Trailer (2.26 mins)

This is the final trailer that was shown in theatres to promote the movie.

OVERALL

The quality of the transfer and the inclusion of the extended musical numbers add value for fans of the film. Paramount does a good joy of emphasising the musical element of the movie but a behind the scenes featurette and a commentary would have made this DVD a much more appealing purchase or rent.

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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