Cuba Gooding Jr.’s latest effort is predictable but chock full of showstoppers.
“The Fighting Temptations” shows Cuba Gooding Jr. the good role he’s been seeking since “Jerry Maguire.”
Like his Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” jock, the new role of Darrin Hill requires showmanship rather than depth, and Gooding delivers gamely. That sums up the entire movie. Despite a predictable plot, “The Fighting Temptations” delivers its goods with rousing showmanship.
With Beyonce Knowles, the Rev. Shirley Caesar, Melba Moore, Faith Evans, Eddie LeVert, Angie Stone, The O’Jays, T-Bone and Montell Jordan joyfully rendering gospel, R & B, rock and rap, “The Fighting Temptations” balances its predictability with surefire showstoppers. And there’s no bigger showstopper than Gooding himself, who mugs, grins, dances and even performs somersaults with gleeful abandon.
We first meet Darrin as a young child, when he and his mother are banished from the Beulah Baptist Church of Monte Carlo, Ga. Darrin’s mother (Evans), the church choir soloist, was discovered singing “secular” music in a smoke-filled nightclub. Leading the moral posse is the loathsome church treasurer Paulina (LaTanya Richardson), who’s oblivious to the fact that excessive pride can be a sin.
The adult Darrin (Gooding) becomes a Madison Avenue junior executive with a quick mind, a glib manner and a gift for chronic lying. When the last trait surfaces, he’s fired from his agency but discovers he’s heir to an inheritance. The lone stipulation is that he lead the Beulah Baptist Church to victory in the regional “Gospel Explosion” contest.
At this point, “The Final Temptations” becomes a variation of “The Music Man,” with Darrin promising the small town citizens more than he can deliver but acquiring a conscience along the way. Like “The Music Man’s” Prof. Harold Hill, the new movie’s Darrin Hill has a comely young woman for inspiration. This time, she’s no stuffy librarian but a voluptuous singer and single mother who’s had her share of hard knocks. Knowles brings confidence and charm to the role, although Darrin’s eventual proposal is one of the film’s corniest moments.
Richardson is properly despicable as the holy terror who continues to dog Darrin’s every step as an adult, and Wendell Pierce has good moments as the easily cowed pastor. Mike Epps, as a self-proclaimed “booty” expert, and Steve Harvey, as the community’s one and only radio personality, provide stand-out comic support.
If the cast triumphs over cliched situations, so does director Jonathan Lynn. He previously pleased audiences but not critics with such fare as “My Cousin Vinny” and “The Whole Nine Yards.” But “The Fighting Temptations” topples our defenses. It’s like watching a familiar dance routine performed with expertise and grace. You know all the steps, but it still manages to surprise you.
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THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS
Grade: B
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Beyonce Knowles, Mike Epps, Steve Harvey, LaTanya Richardson and Wendell Pierce. Directed by Jonathan Lynn. Rated PG-13 (language, sensuality). In wide release. 123 min.
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AP-NY-09-17-03 1249EDT
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