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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 53 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly |

    Makes shameless use of tried-and-true elements -- but it's hardly the same old song. Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Kevin Thomas

    A rousing, warmhearted comedy, as infectious as the gospel music it celebrates. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    A warm comic story that's fairly engaging even when no one is singing. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Not brilliant and it has some clunky moments where we see the plot wheels grinding, but it has its heart and its grin in the right places. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    May not be great cinema, but it's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Sheri Linden

    This culture-clash romantic comedy, scripted by Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson, goes exactly where you'd expect, but helmer Lynn, a comedy vet, gets it there with such infectious energy that you don't much mind the story's predictability. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety |

    Paper-thin plot serves as a pretext for rousing gospel numbers in The Fighting Temptations, which straddles styles and eras to get everybody's toes tapping. Read full review

  • 40
    The New York Times | Dana Stevens

    This movie feels phony and slick, as if it were cooked up by Darrin's cynical ad agency, rather than at his aunt's stove down in Montecarlo. Read full review

  • 38
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    If Gooding can't get another "Boyz N the Hood" or "Jerry Maguire" soon, his career will need its own cork. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    A soundtrack buried inside a sitcom. Read full review

View more reviews for The Fighting Temptations on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Great music, mediocre plot and acting.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that one character is an unwed mother who's shunned by the church. There are some sexual references, including a man who brags about his conquests and asks children if they know he's their daddy and a crude reference to Mary Magdalene. One of the church leaders is exposed as a hypocrite who lied about her husband leaving her. Darren smokes expensive cigars and several characters drink, one to excess in a manner that's intended to be humorous.
  • Families can talk about whether the church should have refused to include Darren's mother and Lilly.
The good stuff
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Diverse characters are warm friends and colleagues; strong minority characters.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: None.
  • sex false3 Sex: One character is an unwed mother. There are some sexual references, including a man who brags about his conquests.
  • language false3 Language: A few strong words.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Character smokes expensive cigars, drinking.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

The Fighting Temptations Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 207 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

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