The Five Heartbeats (1991) - DVD

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--and. purely by accident. stages a reconciliation with his long-estranged brother TJ. Hal Erickson