THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS
US, 2003, 123 minutes, Colour.
Cuba Gooding Jr, La Tanya Richardson.
Directed by Jonathan Lynn.
The target for The Fighting Temptations is the African American audience. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jnr giving an exuberant performance along the lines of his Oscar-winning role in Jerry Maguire. (This is particularly evident in his gymnastics during the final credits.)
The setting is Georgia – with an excursion to the cutthroat business world of advertising in New York City. Gooding plays a young man who is brought up in Georgia, whose mother was excluded from the choir, who returns when his grand-aunt dies and leaves it in her will that he should inherit money if he directs the local choir to win at a competition.
The film contrasts the go-getting world of advertising, the lies, the exploitation. The hero is fully immersed in this world – but, of course, after returning home begins to see truer values.
The film has a strong black cast, especially Beyonce Knowles, the singer who had appeared in such films as Austin Powers’ Goldmember.
The film is reminiscent of the plot of those films which have competitions and the show must go on despite all difficulties. It is also reminiscent of Sister Act with the hero as a fish out of water in his community, gradually adapting, conducting the choir in exuberant performances of gospel song. In fact, the gospel music is another attractive feature of the film for its target audience.
The film was directed by Englishman Jonathan Lynn, writer and director of Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. He went to the United States in the 1990s and directed such films as My Cousin Vinnie, The Distinguished Gentleman, Greed, Sergeant Bilko.
1.The target audience of the film? Americans? African Americans? The importance of the gospel music? The traditions? Impact for a wider audience?
2.Georgia in the 1980s, later? The town of Monte Carlo, small, the homes, the church? The contrast with New York, the business world, affluent life?
3.The music, the gospel, the contemporary renditions of gospel music? The church, performances? The range of artists? Rap? The competition? Beyonce Knowles and other performers?
4.The title, Lily’s explanation about temptation and fighting it? Darren’s response?
5.The 1980s, Georgia, the small town, the membership of the choir, their singing? Paul and his leadership? Paulina and her domination, the rules? Aunt Sally and her care for Darren and his mother? The young boy going to church, singing? The ousting of his mother? Their travels, her career, the range of places, the collage and superimpositions? Aunt Sally’s letters – and Darren finally reading them? Darren’s mother’s death?
6.Darren and Cuba Gooding Jnr’s style, at work in New York City, advertising, ideas, alcohol, his pitch to the executives, promotion, wanting a corner office? The lies on his resume? Taking the woman to dinner, the exposure of the failure of his cards? His being found out, fired? His being contacted by the secretary – especially during the funeral? The phone call, his return, his chart and the exploitation of the average citizen, the African Americans? His change of heart, the bosses applauding him, leaving?
7.Aunt Sally’s will, getting the money to travel, the train, being picked up in the car, the return home? His superior attitude?
8.The funeral, the mobile phone ringing, his improvising and giving the eulogy? People’s reactions to his return? The will, people being left Aunt Sally’s goods, Darren and his having to conduct the choir?
9.His decision, need for money? His going round all the citizens, the different promises, business deals, personal interactions, Lily and the promise of a record contract? His lies about his being a record producer? Going to the prison, the governor? The prisoners – the falsetto singer, the rap artist?
10.The rehearsals and the style? The music, the singing? The combinations? The quick development of the choir?
11.Lily, her son, on the outer, like Darren’s mother, his attraction towards her, the promise and the lies, falling in love, her disillusion with him?
12.Paulina, her control, the rules for the choir, her ambitions, receiving the phone call and finding out the truth about Darren? The revelation and denouncing everyone?
13.The truth, Darren’s reaction, going back to New York – his new conversion, return? The support of Paul and Lily?
14.Going to the competition, Lily and Paul? Paulina and her control of the choir? The other members and their reaction against her? Paul revealing the truth that she was not a widow? The choir voting her out? The performance, the other members in the competition, the Fighting Temptations and their victory?
15.The range of personalities, in the town, the minister, Paulina, the friends, Rue Mc Lanahan as the white woman, the prisoners?
16.The formula for this kind of exuberant ‘show must go on’? Predictable? The winning? The final credits and the songs and gymnastics? Feelgood?
