A friend and I were talking about movies the other day and "The Five Heartbeats" entered the conversation. I allowed some of his passionate discourse before tossing in my two cents about the generally poor performances, mediocre script and lackluster direction. While, I don't consider myself a Robert Townsend hater (I enjoyed Hollywood Shuffle and own it on DVD), anyone with the execrable "Meteor Man" and "BAPS" on his resume has a lot to answer for.
But then came to coup de grace... When I offered Angela Bassett's riveting portrayal of Tina Turner in "What's Love..." as an example of superior story-telling, he STILL preferred "The Five Heartbeats." WHAAAAAT?!? Two Oscar-nominated performances versus an over-long "movie of the week!" You've got to be kidding.
In his defense, his affection for Heartbeats is rooted in his own experiences as a member of an male, R&B group. That none of his bandmates became violent, irrational crackheads is beside the point. Heartbeats speaks to him with special poignancy. I concede too that Heartbeats shows a complex Black, male dynamic that is rarely brought to the screen. Not since Cooley High (where Townsend had a cameo) have we seen a drama about the emotional entanglements of a group of Black men. "New Jack City" tried, but there was SO much crack and gunfire, it was hard to focus on the inner turmoil of the CMB family. (Note: The soundtrack was a brilliant distraction too, not to mention Chris Rock's crusty-lipped, Pookie. Talk about a classic hip hop performance!)
But I digress. I promised to take a break from my recent blog obsession, and post this article. I expect that I will see a comment from the maniacal ravings of his lunatic mind shortly thereafter.
But then came to coup de grace... When I offered Angela Bassett's riveting portrayal of Tina Turner in "What's Love..." as an example of superior story-telling, he STILL preferred "The Five Heartbeats." WHAAAAAT?!? Two Oscar-nominated performances versus an over-long "movie of the week!" You've got to be kidding.
In his defense, his affection for Heartbeats is rooted in his own experiences as a member of an male, R&B group. That none of his bandmates became violent, irrational crackheads is beside the point. Heartbeats speaks to him with special poignancy. I concede too that Heartbeats shows a complex Black, male dynamic that is rarely brought to the screen. Not since Cooley High (where Townsend had a cameo) have we seen a drama about the emotional entanglements of a group of Black men. "New Jack City" tried, but there was SO much crack and gunfire, it was hard to focus on the inner turmoil of the CMB family. (Note: The soundtrack was a brilliant distraction too, not to mention Chris Rock's crusty-lipped, Pookie. Talk about a classic hip hop performance!)
But I digress. I promised to take a break from my recent blog obsession, and post this article. I expect that I will see a comment from the maniacal ravings of his lunatic mind shortly thereafter.
Comments