User reviews

Black performers in the South were treated very badly in the 50s and early to mid 60s. They had to use seperate entrances and often inferior hotels and restaraunts. And the changing of the album cover, the Marvalettes "Please Mr. Postman "album had a cover which featured a cartoon drawing of a mailbox rather than 4 black faces...the movie is accurate in its racial interpretation

This is such a wonderful, underrated film. Everyone I recommend it to looks at me like I'm crazy until they watch it and become total fans. One of the many delights about the Five Heartbeats is the soundtrack. The songs were written, performed and recorded with such attention to period detail they sound like they really come from the years of the movie. And most of them are great songs anyway. If they had been "real" they would be classics today. A Heart is a House for Love which was actually sung by the Dells, made it to #13 on the R&B charts. Most of the music came from Stanley Clarke, the brilliant bassist and composer. But Thom Bell, one of the originators of TSOP, contributed importantly too, including one of his old songs for the Delfonics. There are so many cool moments in this film. Michael Wright and Hawthorne James offer stand- out performances in a great cast. The Five Heartbeats is easily Robert Townsends best film.

This movie was almost too much like the Committments and That Thing You Do and that wonderful mini series about the Temptations. But is was only "almost". It was wonderful on it's own. Robert Townsend is wonderful. I really came to care about these characters and what was going to happen to them. There was a lot of really good music as well. One wonderful surprise was the singing of the little sister of one of the lead characters. I could not believe her voice! In fact, there was seldom a wrong note. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is that it was really stretching in places for credibility. However, it was really entertaining overall.

To the guy who questioned the racism in the movie.... you need to do a little homework, cause that was all truth. Although the movie was a fictionalized account, the racist elements shown were very much true.

The idea that it couldn't have taken place in the "60's", of all possible timeframes, is absurd and quite ludicrous. All of the major black acts from the 60's were subject to racism where they were treated poorly when off stage. ALL used the service entrance, or kitchen, to enter the venue in which they played. I'm talking Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, the temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Jackie Wilson, Stevie Wonder.... you name 'em.

The practice of fronting songs recorded by blacks with white groups was commonplace in the 50's-60's. Unfortunately, many racist whites didn't want their music to have a black face on it.

Do your homework prior to debunking historical fact.

The movie is THE all time music themed rags-to-riches film ever made.

This film is a masterpiece, it combines an excellent cast, with motown style music, a great story, and a great film all around, Robert Townsend is a genius! after watching this film you get an idea of what it was like for bands struggling to make it to the top, and what happens when they get there, I highly reccomend this film!!!

Coming from a highly musical family, and knowing the struggle and hardships that abound, I have to agree with the clichés and other trappings of fame that this film has to offer. It is a slice of the American Pie, that no one seems to want to believe. There are other movies about African-American actors, musicians and entertainers, that show the same scenarios of racism. Dorothy Dandridge really did have to use the bathroom in a Dixie cup, and when she stuck her toe in the pool they drained it and cleaned it. People like Big Red did, and do, exist. There were people who were hung upside down from the balcony, because they demanded to be let out of loan shark type contracts, or demanded to see the books. It still goes on today. To say that this movie just shows the racist, drug addicted side of the music industry is just inaccurate. This movie is one group's struggle. The movie is based not only on The Dells, but on the experiences of many of the groups in that era. Look at the Frankie Lymon Story. It seems too outlandish to be true, but it is a true story, and that is just part of life.

I have the stories from my father being on the road with various bands in the 50's and 60's, and there are some things that go on, on the road that can only be understood if you have been on the road. My mother has told me about the late night parties at the studios in the 60's and 70's, and some of the crazy things that happened, and again, only if you have been there, can you understand what happens after hours behind closed doors.

I personally have been on the road, and I have been in the studio, late, recording. There is an energy that happens that cannot be explained. Some people can handle it, others cannot. This movie depicts both. I have known people like all of the characters in this movie, and the portrayals are accurate. Yeah, "Can't nobody Sing, Like Eddie King", but at the same time could you keep the show going, being that high? This movie shows the ups ad the downs. It isn't all gravy. It is life. I thank Robert Townsend for this accurate, at times gritty, dirty, beautiful portrayal, of friendship, talent, commitment, and love. It reminds me of my father and his brothers, my mother and me. It's life.

Movie chronicles the rise and fall of a black group named the Five Hartbeats. They're played by Robert Townsend (who also wrote, directed and produced the movie), Michael Wright, Leon, Harry Lennix and Tico Wells. It follows them from 1965 to 1972 dealing with their problems with women, parents, other bands, drugs and money. Also the movie doesn't soft pedal the racism that black groups had to deal with in the 1960s.

The story lines are very predictable--I saw every one coming--but the movie is very quick-moving and the acting, directing and music keep you watching. In fact there are TOO many story lines going on--the second half of the movie becomes a little disjointed with multiple stories going full force. Also Michael Wright's acting was way too over the top--he quickly got annoying.

However all the other acting was good and the songs and dancing were incredible. Also it's nice to Diahann Carroll in a small role. This movie came and went very quickly in 1992 (the studio had no idea on how to market it) but it's a very good movie. Worth catching.

The Five Heartbeats was a real, honest, remarkable film. It was packed with emotion. Well acted by all involved. A must see to appreciate! The portrayals on the members in the group were believable. It is my understanding that this is a story based upon the popular singing group, "The Dells". I don't know how true it is. I feel that Robert Townsend not only acted well in this film but, he did a fantastic job in directing it, too. To me, it's one of if not the best piece of work that he has done. I also enjoyed his film, "The Hollywood Shuffle" but the Five Heartbeats is my overall favorite. Kudos to Mr. Townsend for a job well done and may we say his greatest works are yet to come. Thank you Mr. Townsend and I hope to meet you one day!

This was a average movie at best. The songs were terrible for the most part. The lip singing was noticeable. This could've been much better.

The Five Heartbeats is clearly one of the best black musicals ever made. The songs are catchy, it has heart and humor. Robert Townsend is clearly one of the most talnted black directors of our time and he proved it with this film. Check it out for a good timne.

It really should have been made solely as a drama instead of incorporating comedic elements, as the comedic elements force you to suspend your disbelief of the drama itself. This is especially true when it comes to the music montages... they should not have any comedy incorporated as the film then looks like a parody of itself, which causes you to anticipate a punchline during the intensely dramatic parts, such as when the racist cops pull over the group in the South, when the guy is being held over the balcony like Vanilla Ice, when the guy gets run over by a dump truck, and when the guy becomes addicted to crack... he's not Chris Rock on In Living Color, he's a representation of real-life Motown singers that fell apart and lost it all. Even the first opening scene where the guy has to escape a card game... the film cuts back and forth from the comedy of the first performance and the drama of the escape. Its too emotionally jarring with the true socio-emotional issues of the characters being parodied (I guess this is what happens when a Wayans brother helps write your movie!).

This movie is a great movie with great actors, especially Michael Wright (Eddie), who is an amazing under-rated actor who gives it his all in this film. But I don't think Robert Townsend should have acted in this movie, as he is not the best actor for drama. He always has a smirk on his face and looks like he is about to bust out laughing, which is overly evident during the music montages... which are actually some of the worst parts of the movie.

I think the worst aspect of the movie altogether is the voice-overs during the music montages. As if a band member would be able to talk on stage to his band-mates in a low volume voice, and have the band-mates hear them without their voice picking up on the microphone for the audience to hear... its just not believable in any way possible. Not to mention, Townsend's character directs his band-mates to sing and dance in real-time on the stage, having to make changes on a dime... that is absolutely unbelievable. It would not be possible, and that type of thing parodies the entire concept of live music altogether. "Okay, you sing in a low voice... NOW! Okay, now you and the other guy do backup vocals in harmonic thirds... NOW! Okay, now spin around and do a three foot shuffle with a slide into the chorus... NOW!" Absolutely ridiculous. It makes the Motown performances look like an episode of Who's Line Is It Anyway with Drew Carey... cmon!

If you can suspend your disbelief to the infinite degree during those performances, ignore the comedic aspect, and allow yourself to become emotionally vested in the drama of the film, then you will enjoy the movie for what it is meant to be worth. If this movie had been released on Lifetime or BET, instead of releasing in theaters, I think it would have received better critic response. Especially if it was filmed in 2020, as critics wouldn't have responded to the commentary on racism with such a negative view. In 1991 it was considered to be shoehorned into the movie, but in 2020 every movie is a shoehorned commentary on racism.

This is a great film. It displays the passion and purity if music during that time and a real world depiction of the music world even today. Robert Townsend did a wonderful job of taken the story of a great group and telling it in a "cinemagraphic" manner. By far one of the best biographical films to date.

This film was fun to watch except for a couple of things. First, the attempt to pretend as though White record producers wanted to substitute a White group in place of the Five Heartbeats was utterly retarded.

Secondly, the attempt to pretend as if they were subject to racism when in fact Black music groups were a hugely popular in the '60's, is pathetic.

The film traces a group which appears to be based upon the Dells. The group has its' highs and lows. You'll notice a number of cliches throughout the film. This causes the film to slow down in a number of places. The running time could have been shorter with better editing.

My advice is watch the film but ignore the overt attempts to create racist feelings.

By now, every film buff knows the legendary story about the plucky, tenacious indie filmmaker who maxed out all his credit cards to realize his celluloid dreams. Spike Lee was one of the directors most associated with the tale, as he completed SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT. Another was Robert Townsend, who made the hysterically biting satire HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE, about the African-American experience in Tinseltown.

Once that film became a surprise success, Townsend finally found himself a respected talent, and chose his next project accordingly. He decided to chronicle the long, hard road to success traveled by a black singing group, through several decades of triumph and tragedy. Using the personal experiences of the legendary R & B group The Dells as a blueprint, (they also served as technical advisers), Townsend hammered out a screenplay with friend and colleague Keenan Ivory Wayans, and THE FIVE HEARTBEATS is the result.

Though the film contains moments so overwrought with melodrama that they threaten to slip into parody, the issues of racism, class distinctions, greed, payola, and the ever-present lure of sex, drugs and excess that accompany celebrity status are never treated casually or simply glossed over.

Whatever plot points the script may sometimes seem to stumble over, the talented cast, lead with steadfast confidence by actor/writer/director Townsend, never miss a note or a beat, especially when helped along by a great soundtrack, supervised by jazz/funk/R&B great Stanley Clarke. Every performance is remarkable, with special mention going to the underrated Michael Wright as Eddie, the group's talented and troubled lead singer, to Leon as the group ladies' man, (whose good looks and talent have landed him in several other similar high-profile roles), and to the overlooked Hawthorne James as the malevolent "Big Red," the epitome of a man who has completely sold himself, body and soul, to the dark side of success.

Townsend also manages not to forget that between the dramatic moments, what makes a great musical is great MUSIC; songs that remind us why even though the concept of people suddenly bursting into fully orchestrated tunes defies logic, the pure, giddy sense of fun and enjoyment we derive from such moments are why musicals are a genre that simply refuse to die.

Nowhere in HEARTBEATS is it more apparent, than when Townsend and actress/singer Tressa Thomas team up on a show-stopping number called "We Haven't Finished Yet," as Duck, Townsend's character, struggles to write a song, getting some unexpected and able-bodied help from his baby sister, who nearly brings down the house! It's moments like this that make musicals memorable, and in a niche that can never have too many well-rendered stories about groups from "back-in-the-day," THE FIVE HEARTBEATS is a genuine classic that can be recommended not just to black audiences, but to moviegoers of any background who love good stories about music and musicians.

This film has it all. More people should get into this one. Drama, heartbreak, fun, excitement. One of the most incredible multi-layered performances ever by Michael Wright as "Eddie Caine". The writing slips every now and then but you forget all about that because of the sheer charisma of the performers. This is one cult classic for the collection.

Some people run at the first sight of stormy weather ... But SOME people hold on and work it out together." -- Breakout lyric from the movie's soundtrack.

This movie has absolutely everything.

It's got comedy of all sorts, yet this movie really isn't a comedy.

And it's got compelling moments that'll make you think and make you feel some kinda way about given relatable characters and life circumstances, yet I wouldn't exactly fit this movie into a mold of your typical drama.

"The Five Heartbeats" is the loosely autobiographical tale of the rise, fall and ultimately triumph in life of a hit five-man R&B group from the 1960s (my father and uncles have an ongoing debate about whether this group's experiences were based upon The Temptations, The Four Tops or The Dells).

This movie seems like a real-enough, real life story about how money, fame and stardom can breed distrust, hate, disloyalty and an assortment of shady dealings that could undue any family relationship or close friendship.

The story follows five young men who start out as close friends who share a common passion and talent: singing.

Of course, they get "discovered" but as they start to and eventually make it big, they discover their moment at the top is filled with tragedy, anger, addictions and deceptions of all kinds -- realities totally different from the starry-eyed images they'd had of "making it big" once upon a time.

Overall, this movie is very much uplifting because, while it takes a life time, these five friends eventually overcome the past and learn some invaluable life lessons.

This is a movie for families -- the plot and various scenes will be interpreted differently by kids and adults, however, both demographics will be able to relate to this movie's overall theme and message.

Fame and fortune are fleeting. Friendships -- good friendships -- are priceless. This is a movie that was out and out ignored by Hollwyood. Easily Robert Townsend's best film and deserving of Academy Award consideration. Awesome acting, brilliant writing and a blazingly inspiring soundtrack. This movie is the complete package. Guaranteed crowd-pleasing movie and one you can watch over and over and over, and not get tired of.

Probably one of the best movies I've ever seen

Strengths and cruelty of the R & B music business are dramatized with humor, love, tragedy and the ultimate triumph of family with an African American flavor. The music is all "butter" ...no margarine here... at a time when the music was the show and the show was the music. Talking about cruelty ...the only thing meaner than the villains in this film was the limited way it was distributed...how long did it play in your "hood".

This is my favorite movie. I can't even count the number times I've seen it. I just watched the Making of... and it makes me love this movie that much more. I didn't think that was possible.

When I saw this movie the first time I was surprised in the end how a musical movie went straight into my heart so quickly. The soundtrack i superb and the acting i very good, especially Eddie King Jr makes a strong impression with his strong acting and a broken past. This movie shows you the strong relationship between the band members and how they struggle to survive in the music business that isn't always a road to glory. The movie ends in a great way that i memorable for a very long time. The director has done a great work, this is a movie for all soul music lovers, if you missed it try to get a hand on this movie, you won't be disappointed.

The rise and fall and the return to glory of an African American rhythm and blues singing group is presented in Robert Townsend's, The Five Heartbeats. Set between the years of 1965 and 1977, The Five Heartbeats is a biopic that tells the story of how five young black fellows catch a break and rise to fantastic fame and breathtaking stardom, only to be taken down by greed, jealousy, drugs, womanizing, and corruption from within.

Like most, I would love to like The Five Heartbeats. But it is a film made with totally simplicity. That is, the film glosses over how the Heartbeats made it so fast and how their music made them so special in the eyes of the public.

You see in the movie, the Heartbeats making the cover of Time, Newsweek, and Ebony magazine in their epic rise to stardom. Yet sad to say none of the music in the film ,despite having R&B music great Thom Bell's input, is anything special. The songs are not sung by the actors portraying the Heartbeats in the film and are poorly lip-synced by the same actors.

The movie shows the corrupt head of the record company the Heartbeats work for, "Big Red" (Hawthorne James), taken down and indicted and sentenced to prison for murdering the Heartbeats' manager, Jimmy Potter(Calvin Patterson) in a big front page headline in a newspaper. For a movie that many posters here have said portrays the reality of the music business perfectly, the fall of Big Red is a bit of a stretch. Red was supposed to be a Berry Gordy type of businessman. It would have been impossible to have pinned the murder of Potter on him and even harder to bring him down.

As for the part in the film where The Heartbeats see a new album of theirs have the picture of a white family at the beach instead of themselves on the cover, well that had to be one of the most awkward scenes in the film. Yes black R&B acts in the 1940's and the early part of the 1950's had faced a great deal of racism. But by the time the Heartbeats (Their rise started after 1965) became big why couldn't they be seen on an album cover together? Why would their own record company present this them way? What would putting an white family on an album cover of black R&B group have to do with crossover appeal? Townsend seems unable to present the problem the group supposedly had with racism properly. I mean if you make the cover of Time magazine that is crossover appeal isn't it?

When the film was made, Robert Townsend, was hot and he knew it. Hollywood Shuffle and Eddie Murphy's Raw made him a hot producer. He and Keenen Ivory Wayans wrote The Five Heartbeats. The Five Heartbeats, missed the mark by a wide margin. The film is inconsistent ,trite and a bit too long. In the long run the Heartbeats, their own stories as individuals, and their own music, couldn't and cannot match real life music groups. The story is supposed based on the real life R&B group ,the Dells, but Townsend couldn't translate their story in a competent manner.

On almost all the comments everyone assumes this film is based on The Temptations. Which is a fair assumption given The Temps' lead singer David Ruffin had a serious drug problem,as did the 'Hearts in this film.

This film is actually based on a group named The Dells. The Dells started recording in 1953 (as The El-Rays, and changed to the Dells in '55). They have atleast 3to4 dozen R&B hits in every decade from the 1950s to the 90s. Everything in the Film except for the lead singer being a drug addict is based on their experiences. As with most Hollywood films somethings were embelished for Dramatic effect. The Dells also sang just about every song the soundtrack. The theme song "A Heart Is A House For Love" was a #13 R&B in 1991. Happy to say the Dells are still performing and recording together after 51 years, with no personell changes since 1957. The Dells served as Technical advisors on the film, and at the end of the credits they show a picture of them and the Film is dedicated to them.

Highly recommend this for anyone that has a good night free or with a significant other and a nice bottle of wine. The Soundtrack is great addition as well. All parts were played great no cheesy acting here. This is based on the Dells and shows how they worked together to start and create the group. It shows struggles, family, and friends and the life back in the 50's 60's It closely resembled the Detroit era and the small growing record company's as well. Very well laid out and scripted perfectly. Robert Townsend played a very good role in this movie as did the other actors. If you want to see Harmony's, Dance moves of the 50's and 60's this is the movie to see as there are very few like it. There is a Temptations movie out too that is just as good showing the bands problems and change of lead singers.

The Music, The Story, and the Acting were all equally compelling... This is entertainment at its best! One of the reasons I believe this is a favorite movie of lots of black folks is simply the diversity of the characters. Rarely had we seen an ensemble cast of wonderful, talented, yet flawed black characters that were all people we could look up to for one thing or another. Not to mention the story is one we are all familiar with, as many of the most iconic music groups suffer from these same issues yet none had been brought to the big screen prior to this film.

The music being authentic plays the biggest part in the film being a classic. To this day when the songs from this film play they suck you right back in to the mood of the time.