The Five Heartbeats

After you've seen this, you might as well just avoid seeing any other movie regarding going form nothing to having it all in the music industry...some stories may be more dramatic, some more extreme...but this one pulls it all together lays it out like no other. I have seen this movie probably 20 times and will surely see it another 20. All of the ingredients are there. It's well made and yet, the roughness apparent in the script and acting at times seem to add to it's charm. Perfect imperfections, as Cee-Lo Green has named his new Album, is how I'd like to call it. When you watch the %H, you feel like you're back in the 60's and understand that the groups of that time simply had this fire inside that they had to get out of themselves....the problems came only after the fire was released: WHat does one do NOW?

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful movie...Hey Bobbie T. Lace us with another one of these!!!!

To the guy who questioned the racism in the movie.... you need to do a little homework, cause that was all truth. Although the movie was a fictionalized account, the racist elements shown were very much true.

The idea that it couldn't have taken place in the "60's", of all possible timeframes, is absurd and quite ludicrous. All of the major black acts from the 60's were subject to racism where they were treated poorly when off stage. ALL used the service entrance, or kitchen, to enter the venue in which they played. I'm talking Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, the temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Jackie Wilson, Stevie Wonder.... you name 'em.

The practice of fronting songs recorded by blacks with white groups was commonplace in the 50's-60's. Unfortunately, many racist whites didn't want their music to have a black face on it.

Do your homework prior to debunking historical fact.

The movie is THE all time music themed rags-to-riches film ever made.

This film is a masterpiece, it combines an excellent cast, with motown style music, a great story, and a great film all around, Robert Townsend is a genius! after watching this film you get an idea of what it was like for bands struggling to make it to the top, and what happens when they get there, I highly reccomend this film!!!

Black performers in the South were treated very badly in the 50s and early to mid 60s. They had to use seperate entrances and often inferior hotels and restaraunts. And the changing of the album cover, the Marvalettes "Please Mr. Postman "album had a cover which featured a cartoon drawing of a mailbox rather than 4 black faces...the movie is accurate in its racial interpretation

On almost all the comments everyone assumes this film is based on The Temptations. Which is a fair assumption given The Temps' lead singer David Ruffin had a serious drug problem,as did the 'Hearts in this film.

This film is actually based on a group named The Dells. The Dells started recording in 1953 (as The El-Rays, and changed to the Dells in '55). They have atleast 3to4 dozen R&B hits in every decade from the 1950s to the 90s. Everything in the Film except for the lead singer being a drug addict is based on their experiences. As with most Hollywood films somethings were embelished for Dramatic effect. The Dells also sang just about every song the soundtrack. The theme song "A Heart Is A House For Love" was a #13 R&B in 1991. Happy to say the Dells are still performing and recording together after 51 years, with no personell changes since 1957. The Dells served as Technical advisors on the film, and at the end of the credits they show a picture of them and the Film is dedicated to them.