Say Amen! 'Fighting Temptations' tempts moviegoers with gospel gold

By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service

THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS (PG-13) Three Stars (Good) A tuneful comedy about a Northerner (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who inherits money from a Southern aunt. There's a condition: He must rebuild her church's gospel choir. Beyonce Knowles, Steve Harvey, Wendell Pierce, Angie Stone, Latanya Richardson, and Montell Jordan also star. Paramount, 123 minutes.

In "The Fighting Temptations," another Northerner heads South — but this time it's to revel in the joyous salvation of gospel music.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is Darrin Hill, a slick Madison Avenue advertising executive who travels back to his Georgia hometown to bury the beloved aunt who raised him. Once there, Darrin learns his aunt left him a sizeable estate — but with a condition: To receive the cash, he must rebuild her church's gospel choir and lead it to victory at a big regional gospel competition.

At first, the village seems inhabited by distinctly bad singers and all-round no-talents. But soon Darrin discovers that his childhood girlfriend has blossomed into a gorgeous and very talented singer, played quite well by real-life R&B diva Beyonce Knowles.

Then he discovers other unexpected talents, including three guys sitting around the local barbershop. (In real life, they're the O'Jays.)

Before you know it, the church is once again singing praises — and Darrin is learning some positive lessons about the virtues of small-town life.

As romantic comedies go, "The Fighting Temptations," co-written by Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson (who writes for "Frasier") is standard fare, though Gooding and Knowles have good chemistry as old friends, reunited. Where the film becomes special is in its performances, making "The Fighting Temptations" the most tuneful gospel movie since "Say Amen, Somebody."

Shirley Caesar performs "The Stone," Beyonce sings "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and the O'Jays perform "Love Me Like a Rock." You'll also hear from Faith Evans, Melba Moore, the Blind Boys of Alabama and more. Can I get an Amen?

Rated PG-13, with mild sexual innuendo.