The Five Heartbeats

1991 • 121 minute

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Loosely based on the life and times of several R&B artists (The Dells, The Temptations, Frankie Lymon, Sam Cooke and others) The Five Heartbeats traces the rise and fall of a popular African-American 1950s singing aggregation. The story is told from the point of view of one of the "Heartbeats," played by Robert Townsend (who also co-produced, directed and co-wrote the script with Keenan Ivory Waynans). The film is an amalgam of anecdotes drawn from real-life experiences: the long struggle upward, the first rush of success, the dishonest record-company executives, the hard-nosed but nurturing managers, the sex, the drugs, the isolation and the precipitous downward slide. The film begins and ends in the 1990s, as the middle-aged "Duck" (Townsend) ruminates on the past and makes the best of the present.

Graderings en resensies

A fun, refreshing movie that I am glad to have discovered when looking up similar films to Glitter (the page to which noted that it is unavailable on Google Play Movies & TV at this time)! This movie seems to more closely resemble Dreamgirls, which also appeared as a match for similar films. The Five Heartbeats was new to me, though. I would recommend this movie to those that love cheesy film music, because judging from what was featured on-screen, the soundtrack to this film must be amazing!