This is an exhilarating musical -- but it's dragged into Thumbs Down territory by a dreadful story that creaks along between the rousing gospel numbers.
The Fighting Temptations (2003)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:16
Rotten:13
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: The music is the only saving grace in this predictable and eager-to-please comedy.
Theatrical Release:Sep 19, 2003 Wide
Box Office: $30,213,026
Synopsis: Darrin Hill (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) has just lost his job with a New York advertising firm and bill collectors are chasing him all over the city. But just when he thinks his luck has completely run... Darrin Hill (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) has just lost his job with a New York advertising firm and bill collectors are chasing him all over the city. But just when he thinks his luck has completely run out, Darrin discovers he's the only surviving relative of his Aunt Sally who has just left him $150,000.00. Traveling back to his small hometown of Montecarlo, Georgia, to attend the funeral and collect his inheritance, Darrin soon discovers that Sally's written a tiny catch into her will. Her last wish is that her beloved nephew create a choir, enter it in the annual Gospel Explosion and bring home a victory. Between the bickering and the difficulties finding talented singers in the community, not to mention that his heart just isn't into the whole thing, Darrin has his work cut out for him... until he meets Lilly (Beyonce Knowles). A beautiful jazz singer with a voice to match, Lilly awakens feelings in Darrin he didn't know he had. Suddenly, collecting the money or heading back to New York City aren't important anymore, and he realizes that Aunt Sally left him something much more than an inheritance. -- © Paramount Pictures [More]
Starring: Cuba Gooding, Beyonce Knowles, Mike Epps, Latanya Richardson
Starring: Cuba Gooding, Beyonce Knowles, Mike Epps, Latanya Richardson, Steve Harvey, T-Bone, Wendell Pierce, Rue McClanahan
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Screenwriter: Elizabeth Hunter, Saladin K. Patterson
Producer: David Gale, Loretha C. Jones, Jeff Pollack
Composer: Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, James "Big Jim" Wright
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Fighting Temptations
The only real question in this flaccid narrative ... is when everybody will stop talking and start singing again.
Has practically nothing to recommend it save its music: Take that away and Jonathan Lynn's movie is as ordinary as an unsold TV pilot episode. But what music.
A messy, sprawling family barbecue of a movie that barely gets by on salesmanship, energy and maybe more than a little chicanery.
When Gooding and Knowles appear together, they drain off energy like batteries hooked in reverse.
A raucous gospel comedy that's as broad as co-star Beyonce Knowles' vowels and chockablock with foot-stomping, up-with-the-choir music that will have even atheists praising the Lord.
From its exhilarating first scene -- set in a black Southern church -- The Fighting Temptations rocks
A lot more fun than you'd expect for an MTV-produced vehicle for pop diva Beyonce Knowles.
A bit more endurable than a Sunday morning service on a simmering Southern day in an un-air-conditioned church.
The Fighting Temptations is not brilliant and it has some clunky moments where we see the plot wheels grinding, but it has its heart and its grin in the right places.
That best supporting actor Oscar for Jerry Maguire is beginning to look more and more like a fluke.
A rousing, warmhearted comedy, as infectious as the gospel music it celebrates.
Latest News for The Fighting Temptations
June 14, 2005:
In Other News...the Wayans Bros., Destiny's Child, and Katie Holmes
Watch out, Warner Bros., there might soon be a new WB studio in town -- as in, Wayans Brothers. More...
April 29, 2003:
Bad Cuba Gooding Jr. press be damned! Snow Dogs tallied $81 million, and starring opposite one of the world's biggest pop stars can't hurt. ![]()
More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Fighting Temptations at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Fighting Temptations at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



