From The Hollywood Reporter:
Pulsating with pure entertainment, ``The Five Heartbeats'' is the latest, and certainly biggest, venture by director, executive producer and co-writer Robert Townsend. It is a male version of ``Dream Girls,'' and the total antithesis of that other big music group film, ``The Doors.''
While Oliver Stone's epic deals with a real band in both a realistic and surrealistic manner, Townsend takes the fictional Five Heartbeats and turns their lives into an unbelievable fairy tale.
Which is not to say that the story is all smiles and happy endings. The film has its share of tragedy, violence and heartache. It is also suffused with fluff, stereotypes, predictable sappiness and obvious manipulations.
The surprising part is that none of this gets in the way of thoroughly enjoying this flick with a beat. Comedians at heart, Townsend and co-writer Keenen Ivory Wayans provide plenty of humorous touches and some great lines. But it is the Motown-era music and the choreography that accompanies it (nostalgically and perfectly re-created by Michael Peters) that truly win us over.
``The Five Heartbeats'' chronicles the humble beginnings of a vocal group much like the Four Tops, and their not-too-unexpected climb to the top. These two brothers and three friends combine to produce a five-part harmony that helps them stand out from the rest. In a rousing opening scene we witness the band bring the house down with a dynamite number. Immediately we know that it's just a matter of time before they are discovered.
But their path to fame isn't a smooth one. There are the standard obstacles: drugs, corruption, jealousy. In one ridiculous scene, the band's songwriter, Duck (Townsend), has trouble putting together a tune in time for their first recording session. That is, until his kid sister suggests using various parts of his throwaway songs. They start singing together and produce magic. It's like an Andy Hardy movie.
Yet even this scene ends up being a charmer, and produces some genuine, and seemingly intentional, laughs. Like the group it chronicles, this film seems to have the Midas touch. Material that wouldn't work anywhere else turns golden here. Unoriginal and cliched situations somehow end up smelling fresh.
It might have something to do with the energy level of the production, and perhaps the gentle affability of its star. Townsend possesses a contagious smile and an easy manner that make him appealing. Both of these qualities are at the forefront.
The other Heartbeats (Leon, Harry J. Lennix, Tico Wells and particularly Michael Wright) turn in equally effective performances, and they all play well against one another. The most credible aspect of this film is the interaction among the diverse, but similar, band members.
Like ``The Doors'' film, the women suffer in comparison and are left with one-dimensional characters. Then again, the men aren't all that complex either. But what the film lacks in story and personality development, it makes up for with charm, rhythm and a good-naturedness that is hard to resist.
THE FIVE HEARTBEATS
20th Century Fox
Running time: 120 minutes
Rated: R
(c) 1991, BPI Communications Inc.
Copyright © 1991 BPI Entertainment News Wire, all rights reserved.