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BRIAN ORLOFFCuba Gooding Jr.'s latest comedy, The Fighting Temptations, comes up short. But there is one saving grace: the music.
Is Cuba Gooding Jr. ashamed of his Oscar-winning performance in Jerry Maguire? Does he want audiences to forget his sterling role in Men of Honor?
He must.
How else to explain his recent parts in duds like Boat Trip and Snow Dogs? The public might be forgiving (though it will take a lot to forgive Boat Trip), but The Fighting Temptations is not the remedy. This hackneyed family comedy has one secret weapon: its music. But the flimsy plot and disconnect between the protagonist (sorry, Cuba) and the audience will do little to redeem Gooding's recent record.
And another matter: The Fighting Temptations might as well be subtitled Sister Act Redux. The similarly themed material felt fresh and funny 10 years ago, graced with Whoopi Goldberg's comedic charms.
Gooding is only marginally funny - and definitely not charming. His character, Darrin Hill, is a junior executive at a New York ad agency. He's also a compulsive liar who fabricated his high school and college diplomas, fibbed about his credentials and, generally, his entire upbringing. His credit card debt's accruing. And he's being pursued for fraud.
After his boss learns of his lies, Hill is fired. Coincidentally, he receives a call the same day. His Aunt Sally has died and he must travel home to Montecarlo, Ga., to the insular church community that, years before, rebuked Hill and his mother.
Here's the Sister Act connection. In order to receive his $150,000 inheritance, Hill (who again forges his credentials, telling church members he's a record producer) must lead the choir to victory at a competition.
Gooding strives for earnestness and goofy charm in his performance. Instead, his character is detestable. His lying is pathetic, and it's hard to muster one drop of empathy.
Mike Epps fares much better as Lucius, a flashy player who reintroduces Gooding to Montecarlo. Other supporting roles, like LaTanya Richardson's pesky church matriarch, Paulina, and Steve Harvey's dopey deejay, add some zest.
The other exception is pop star Beyonce Knowles, who plays Lilly, a comely jazz singer and church outcast who's the choir's only saving grace. Knowles possesses an innocence and refreshing charisma that make her scenes tolerable - even sometimes enjoyable.
The Fighting Temptations' predictable pandering to morality and its hastily constructed romance ultimately distract from its true strength: the music. And the joyous gospel music is undeniably fantastic. The performances are, at times, innovative but always refreshing and fun. It's a pity that enjoying them entails sitting through the rest of the movie.
But here's a solution: If you pick up the soundtrack, you can skip the film.
The Fighting Temptations
Grade: C-
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Beyonce Knowles, Steve Harvey, Mike Epps, LaTanya Richardson, Angie Stone, Shirley Caesar, Faith Evans and Rue McClanahan
Screenplay: Elizabeth Hunter
Rating: PG-13; sexual references
Running time: 123 min.