Synopsis
Darrin Hill, a slick-talking but down-on- his-luck NYC advertising exec, returns to his hometown in Georgia to claim the inheritance his aunt left him. But before Darrin can collect the money, he must fulfill his aunt's final wish -- to create a local choir.
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Cast
- Cuba Gooding Jr.Darrin Hill
- BeyoncéLilly
- Wendell PierceReverend Lewis
- LaTanya Richardson JacksonPaulina Pritchett
- Faith EvansMaryann Hill
- Nicky BuggsSarah
- Daphnée Duplaix SamuelTiffany
- Lourdes BenedictoRosa Lopez
- Chloe BaileyLittle Lilly
- Melba MooreBessie Cooley
Recommendations
- 83
Entertainment Weekly
Makes shameless use of tried-and-true elements -- but it's hardly the same old song. - 80
Dallas Observer
The plot's a trifle, but so what. Director Lynn (My Cousin Vinny) stages a series of seamless, ebullient show-stoppers that encompass every musical style from gospel and soul to contemporary R&B and hip-hop, and the choreography ranks with anything you'll find on Broadway. - 80
Los Angeles Times
A rousing, warmhearted comedy, as infectious as the gospel music it celebrates. - 70
L.A. Weekly
Formulaic but infectiously happy comedy. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
This culture-clash romantic comedy, scripted by Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson, goes exactly where you'd expect, but helmer Lynn, a comedy vet, gets it there with such infectious energy that you don't much mind the story's predictability. - 63
ReelViews
The movie's musical sequences, which primarily feature popularized versions of gospel standards, are exhilarating and energetic. Unfortunately, that's only half the story, because the so-called dramatic material, which links together all the musical numbers, is mind-numbingly bad. - 60
Variety
Paper-thin plot serves as a pretext for rousing gospel numbers in The Fighting Temptations, which straddles styles and eras to get everybody's toes tapping. - 50
Village Voice
The camera loves Beyoncé, but her acting coach may harbor more ambivalence; if she could convert the imperious urgency of her best singing to screen presence, we might stop wishing Whitney would come back from her own private netherlands.
