“The Fighting Temptations” wasn’t the film it should have been. This story about a down-and-out New York advertiser who heads South to claim an inheritance—with strings attached—just didn’t make the grade when the music stopped. Had the acting been as rhythmic as the music, “Temptations” would have been a lot of fun.
While the DVD, released today, sadly doesn’t contain a new cut of the film, it does at least contain some extended musical numbers.
Some of these numbers—”Waiting by Ramiyah,” “Won’t Ever Change” by Mary, Mary, and “Everything I Do” by Beyonce and Bilal—don’t add much to any enjoyment of the original cut.
But others give the “more” that audiences wanted the first time around. For example, the O’Jays perform “Love Me Like a Rock” in an extended barbershop scene, and it’s marvelous. Had the movie simply omitted more of the dialogue and actually gone with longer numbers, it would have garnered more praise.
Likewise with “Down by the Riverside/To Da River” featuring the O’Jays, T-Bone and others. This number starts with the traditional version of “Down by the Riverside” (“street-corner, barbershop harmony” as it’s called), then it morphs into “To Da River,” which is a hip-hop version.
There are also seven extended scenes, most of which don’t add to the quality of the DVD and are in fact further evidence of why the lackluster plot didn’t work in the first place.
The DVD gives more of everything—but in this case, less of the dialogue would actually be more in terms of quality.
Cliff Vaughn is culture editor for EthicsDaily.com.
Click here to buy the DVD now from Amazon.com.
Also read:
Our review of “The Fighting Temptations.”
Walking the Perfect Streets: An Interview With T-Bone
Media producer at Good Faith Media.
