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| The Fighting Temptations DVD Review |
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Order this DVD from Amazon.com
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The Fighting Temptations
(Paramount Home Entertainment)
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| DVD Release Date:
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February 3, 2004
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| Length:
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122 mins.
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| Rated:
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PG
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| Format:
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Widescreen (Enhanced for 16x9 TVs)
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| Audio:
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Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround
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| Subtitles:
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English Subtitles, Closed Cationed
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| Extras:
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8 Extended Music Nubmers, 7 Extended Scenes, Theatrical Trailer
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I had my ups and downs with The Fighting Temptations. It was a difficult movie to like because, for me, it had a lot going against it. First of all, there's Cuba Gooding Jr. The last few years haven't been kind to Cuba. Snow Dogs? Boat Trip? That's enough to make me question how good any movie this guy makes is going to be. Then, there's Beyonce Knowles. I'm not a huge fan of crossover stars. Britney Spears? Madonna? Plus, she was the worst part of Austin Powers in Goldmember, which wasn't that great to begin with, so that doesn't say much about her. Then there's the artwork, which left something to be desired. And finally, there's the plot. Gospel just isn't my thing. But, I have to admit that I was surprised. Not the best movie I've seen, but not the train wreck I half expected it to be.
In The Fighting Temptations, Cuba plays Darrin Hill. Darrin and his mother left their hometown in Georgia disgraced by a member of the church where his mother sang. They move to New York, she dies, and Darrin grows up to become an advertising executive. But, when word comes that Darrin's aunt has died and named Darrin in her will, he returns home to collect. The catch? He must create and lead a church choir to a "Gospel Explosion" competition. At first, he's reluctant, but he reconsiders when he learns the inheritance will make him $150,000 richer. And since he's already in a heap of financial problems, there isn't much else he can do. Of course, getting people together for the choir isn't a simple job. Thankfully, Darrin is a compulsive liar and manages to get together some talent, lead by Beyone Knowles as Lily, Darrin's childhood crush. In between, there's a few laughs and several overly long musical numbers and also some lessons to be learned.
What can I say about this movie? There are movies out there where the lead character doesn't display the most admirable qualities, but you still sympathize with them - but this isn't one of those movies. Cuba's character was a bit of a knob, and never really redeems himself. Plus, as I mentioned, the musical numbers were overly long and had me reaching for the remote to just get past them and on to the next scene. Beyonce and the rest of the cast did an adequate job of moving the movie along without being too difficult to watch. This movie was okay - and that's stretching it. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and that's about the best I can say.
There's not a lot going for this disc in terms of special features, unless you're one of the people who got this movie for the gospel music. If that's the case, there are several extended musical numbers. Again, this wasn't one of the finer points for the movie, so this wasn't really for me.
Also available are some extended scenes from the film. Be sure to check out the extended look at Cuba break dancing. From what I understand, he was discovered break dancing at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. It seems he hasn't lost a step.
Other features include the film's theatrical trailer and previews for Against the Ropes, Timeline, School of Rock and Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.
The Fighting Temptations is presented in Widescreen format (also available in Full Screen) with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track.
Despite this seemingly negative review, as I said, this movie isn't too bad. It has it's moments. Cuba is better than he has been, Beyonce wasn't as bad as I expected and the gospel scenes were entertaining enough to get me tapping my toes. So, if you're looking for a religious film to watch this February and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ seems to heavy, pick up a copy of The Fighting Temptations instead - it's fun, upbeat, and not as bad as you might think.
| The Movie: |
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6/10 |
| The Extras: |
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4/10 |
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Liam Cullin - Editor
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