The Five Heartbeats (1991)

Directed by Robert Townsend. Starring Robert Townsend, Leon, Michael Wright, Chuck Patterson, Tico Wells, Hawthorne James, Harry J. Lennix, Harold Nicholas, John Canada, Diahann Carroll, Troy Beyer, Carla Brothers, Roy Fegan, Theresa Randle. [R]

Familiar rise-and-fall story of fictional R&B vocal group the Five Heartbeats, sticking with them over the course of almost three decades. Cobbles together bits from several real-life music star careers—from the Temptations to Wilson Pickett, but most notably, the general arc of the Dells—and generates goodwill for its stock company of character types (the womanizer, the one from a conservative upbringing, the addict, etc.). Pretty easy to take despite the occasional profane outburst and tragic circumstance, but the pace is uneven, performances a mixed bag, and the pic comes up short on originality or surprises as the clichés keep mounting. The tunes (a mix of originals and oldies) are pretty good throughout, but is it any wonder that evergreen hits from the Four Tops and Delfonics inspire a lot more enthusiasm than the ones performed by the titular quintet? It’s a treat to see Harold Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers fame) being given a meaty supporting role as the group’s choreographer; he even gets to prove he’s still got some magic in those shoes of his. There’s also a nifty scene with young Tressa Thomas belting out a show-stopper with scraps of discarded lyrics—imagine if she’d been given a bigger role. Script by Townsend and Keenan Ivory Wayans.

59/100