Temptations deserve fighting chance

Tried-and-true plotlines and energentic actors make The Fighting Temptations \na movie worth a matinee ticket.\nThe Fighting Temptations tells the story of Darren Hill (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), a successful but conniving young advertising executive. When his great-aunt dies, he must travel back to his hometown of Montecarlo, Ga., which he and his mother left years ago after a spat between his mother and the church. He is set to inherit $150,000, but first he must get the Baptist church choir into the finals at the Gospel Explosion competition. Along the way, he meets up with beautiful singer Lilly (Beyonce Knowles). The light comedic story has a beautiful theme of acceptance and love.\n The plot works even though it was predictable. The story was sweet and funny, but the jokes the filmmakers obviously worked very hard on fell flat. Instead, the movie's writers should have allowed the inherent humor to come through and left the stupid jokes, like the extremely long explanation of various forms of "booty," out. The supporting characters become less like real people and more like caricatures of the group they're supposed to be representing. \nCuba Gooding, Jr. was definitely the shining star of The Fighting Temptations. He has a great gift for physical comedy, yet also creates a character that is sometimes lovable but always very human. \nBeyonce Knowles was a pleasant surprise. She is wonderfully talented and has an amazing screen presence. Her vocal abilities were already well-established, but if she continues to choose her roles well, Knowles could be set to become one of the most successful crossover singer-actresses ever. \nThe only part of The Fighting Temptations that can really be criticized is the stereotypical way the characters are presented. Everyone's there: the uptight church members, the outcast single mother, the dishonest New Yorker, the "praise the Lord" gospel choir. They're all here, acting exactly like they have in pretty much every movie before The Fighting Temptations. The film could have been greatly improved if the characters had fresh new angles instead of being the stereotypical country bumpkins they were in the movie.\nAll in all, The Fighting Temptations was a fun, feel-good film. Although the movie was nothing new, it's a perfect film to watch when you want to be entertained on a lazy afternoon. Don't pay anything more than a matinee price, but as far as entertainment value goes, The Fighting Temptations delivers a heap of lovable charm.