Good luck finding a glass slipper in this Cinderella story.
Take a drunk Alabama organist, a “barbershop” quartet and a 7-foot prison inmate who sings like Tiny Tim. Throw in some rap and a Michael Vick jersey at a gospel contest, and the result is “The Fighting Temptations,” a new film starring Beyonce Knowles and Cuba Gooding Jr.
After losing his high-paying New York advertising job with its corner office, Darrin Hill (Gooding) heads home to Montecarlo, Ga., to collect his inheritance from his great aunt. Unfortunately for him, the will stipulates that he must lead the church choir, which kicked his mother out years before, to the Gospel Explosion, an extravagant competition less than six weeks away, before he gets his inheritance.
Despite his trepidations, Hill’s need for money overshadows his morals. With tactics similar to those of unscrupulous college recruiters, he gets the choir in decent shape.
He discovers Lily (Knowles), a nightclub singer he used to sing in church with when they were children. A love story could develop, but since Darrin has a habit of saying the wrong things at all the wrong times, Lily has some justified concerns.
Gooding shows a knack for comedic timing, but he’s not just a comedian. He shows depth in his emotions, and the close-ups reveal his struggles to keep his composure at the funeral.
Unlike other singers who have tried film and failed, Knowles might well make a name for herself in other genres; her seductive rendition of “Fever” proves that less is more. She can say more with a raised eyebrow than most other singers-turned-actors could say in a mini-series.
Smart dialogue is peppered throughout the movie, with digs at professional athletes and corrupt advertising companies. On the ride home from the train station, Darrin is informed of the geographical differences in “booty.” His interlocutor describes the relative merits of Louisiana booty as compared to Georgia booty or Alabama booty.
Cameos from Rue McClanahan of “Golden Girls” fame and pop singer Usher only add to the good things the movie has going for it. Also featured are Steve Harvey as the local radio DJ and Faith Evans as Darrin’s mother, another nightclub singer.
And depending on your movie-going expectations, your date and your moral limitations or lack thereof, “The Fighting Temptations” might make you smile, might bring a tear to your eye and just might get you into a warmer corner of heaven or a cooler one in the other place.
