Lucha De Tentaciones

To my surprise, this was not a movie about the Temptations.

This is one of those cute "black" movies that makes white people wish they were black so they could have so much fun -- and I don't necessarily mean that in a cynical way. Others that come to mind are "The Preacher's Wife", "The Five Heartbeats"... I like movies like this, if only for relief from always seeing the same white actors on screen.

Of course, just like all Hollywood movies, it is total fantasy, and this one even more so seeing as it it was made by MTV (just check out the number of deleted music sequences on the DVD!).

And if you love gospel music (even some who don't), you will love this movie, despite the fact that it looks like the songs were written first and a script later to patch them all together, taking many shameless cues from "Sister Act" -- both One and Two.

The script is pretty lame in many parts -- mostly with Cuba Gooding's lines -- and the punch depends on the goings-on of mostly bit parts. LaTanya Richards as Paulina is extremely convincing as the self-righteous church treasurer, but there are no really strong protagonists (the only one around dies in the first fifteen minutes) so she pretty much controls the plot single- handedly.

The movie is all about cameos. Cameos, cameos cameos!! Even Shirley Caeser plays (who else?) herself ! ! They might as well have called Beyonce Beyonce and Cuba Cuba.

One other good thing I can say for the movie is the positive mixing of races it shows, among so many movies that tend to show mainly conflict among them. In my experience, the kind of mixing as shown in this movie is the real world, rather than the 99.9% black "Preacher's Wife", or for that matter 100% whiteness of so many movies. Sure, it may be fantasy (there is absolutely no racial tension present in this movie despite so much mingling), but I root for the positive image it projects.

If you are a cynic, this movie is not for you, but if you need some warm fuzzies, go for it!

The song and dance and high energy expressions of faith and joy were a delight-- too bad the plot didn't have as much going for it.

Cuba Gooding is a remarkably talented guy, as in fact, were many of the cast members... the script just didn't give them much to work with. The plot is predictable and formulaic-- which isn't necessarily a terrible thing if it never-the-less shows you a really good time anyway. This movie tries to, but just falls flat whenever the music stops.

It was worth watching for the rousing good music, but certainly not something I feel any need to add to my dvd collection and ever watch again.

I can not believe I almost forgot to write about this film. It was a rare one that I really enjoyed. It had some funny moments and some great music. Now I'm not saying this movie was perfect b/c it was far from it but it was very entertaining and sometimes that is what a movie is supposed to be. The acting was okay and Beyonce is not bad at acting and is great at singing. The plot was nothing monumental but it dealt with something my wife was actually going through at the time. I will definitely own this movie.

Excellent gospel music and some other musical gems highlight this otherwise poor excuse for a film. The music is as good as it gets. So good I just might buy my first gospel cd ever. But the goods stop there, with the possible exception of Beyonce who manages a decent acting performance to go with some superb vocals. Actually, the supporting cast is likable for the most part and do an okay job. However, Cuba Gooding Jr. was completely abysmal, almost as bad as the screenplay. The story itself is implausible, the jokes are stale and the dialogue is boring. Yet, the music was so much fun, I am glad that I saw it and would recommend it to others. Just fast forward through all parts where they are not singing. Believe me you won't miss anything worth seeing.

This is one of Cuba Gooding's best performances in years. Mr. Gooding has been on a dry run since his Oscar win in the supporting category for Tom Cruise's famous line-Show me the money!

This is basically a fun film. Cuba Gooding, recently fired from his job, returns to Georgia for the funeral of his beloved Aunt Sally. That funeral scene in the church is just memorably realized.

Gooding captures the part of the not so competent worker, with a kind and understanding heart.

He can keep the inheritance providing that he does something is an old Hollywood line. This time, it's the taking up of the choir.

LaTanya Richardson gives a stoic performance as the holier than thou choir leader who looks to trip the Gooding character up so that she can maintain her position. She is just great as one who preaches reverence but has strayed herself.

Beyonce Knowles belts it out. Of course, her rendition of fever can't be compared to that of the great Peggy Lee.