Rating: R
Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 03/29/1991(USA),
Release Date: 01/10/2006
SubTitles: English/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French/Espanol
Sound: DD4.0/DD2
Run Time: 121 Minutes
Flags: Mild Violence, Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Profanity, Mild Violence, Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: 20th Century Fox
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.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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