I love this movie....well I like it a lot. The music was great, it was a decent directorial effort from Townsend, and gawd I loved that evil Big Red character.


Poor Eddie Kane Jr. and hey...troy beyer was lookin' good.


"...Are you guys happpeee?"

Why Flash looked like a pimp?

Timmy84 said:

He surely did. I still laugh at him in "She's Gotta Have It". He was looking like a pimp then.

The look he gave Eddie was hot currency. The "you aint me" speech Eddie gave him was priceless.

This is one mean ass Showtime at the Apollo type audience.

DesireeNevermind said:

And yeah about that look he gave Eddie. Lord that scene was sad though. Funny thing about it that was Michael Wright's actual voice when he was singing in that scene. I think Junior Marvin (of the Dells) did his live performance parts.
[Edited 4/8/10 18:58pm]

Good Movie

Greatest Movie EVER. Robert Townsend is a genius.

Ps. most peeps don't know Keenen Ivory Wayans write ans produced along with Rob (he should have had a cameo as Frenchie ... lol.)

Is that Kasi Lemons having a fire crotch moment during the "House of Love" performance? Sure looks like her. She was yelling "go home" and 2 minutes later she was in love and

LittleBLUECorvette said:

According to Robert, he originally wanted to do a comedy based on soul groups but the Dells, who was asked to supervise the direction of the music, told him that the times in soul groups were more serious than that so Robert basically based the film on the lives of the Temptations with the Dells mixed in it. I wonder what much of it was based on the Dells though...

DesireeNevermind said:

When Michael Wright got his grind on, Kasi went from to


[Edited 4/8/10 18:58pm]

Timmy84 said:

DANNGGGG!!!!!
"Nights like this,
I wish
Raindrops would fall-hall-hall-hall-all (chuckle)
Nights like this,
I wish
Raindrops would fall-hall-hall-hall-all
Nights like this I-i-i-i
Wish
Raindrops would fall-hall-hall-hall-all"
My favorite scene of all!!!! It's so sad, I know this movie like the back of my hand!!
[Edited 4/8/10 18:59pm]

Timmy84 said:

Yeah tell us Timmy. Inquiring minds want to know....

Timmy84 said:

Damn so Leon got to play a member of The Dells and The Temptations? And he got Lil Richard on his resume too? Man that brotha is underrated as an actor.

DesireeNevermind said:

"This is Big Red Davis of Big Red Records"
Then here comes his little slimy sneaky ass

DesireeNevermind said:

Tell me about. And he gets ZERO recognition for his talent. He's mostly known as the "black guy" in Madonna's controversial "Like A Prayer" video.

To be honest besides from the "Heart is a House for Love" performance and Eddie Kane's fall from grace, my favorite scene in the whole movie has to be when Eddie and Flash argued and Eddie, drunk, barked at Flash for "trying to take my spot".

I can still remember that scene.

Flash: "Jimmy you're doing a wonderful job with the Heartbeats..."
Jimmy: "You're late again, Eddie!"
Eddie: "(chuckles) Naw naw naw naw... See Jimmy? I know what you're tryna do. But you ain't gonna do it. (chuckles) See Big Red done pull my coattail to you a long, long time ago."
Jimmy: "That's bullshit, Eddie."
Eddie: "(scoffs)"
Jimmy: "You're talking crazy, man. (walks away)"
Eddie: "Yeah I'm crazier than a muthafuckin' fox. (turns to Flash) And you. I can see through your jive ass like glass, nigga."
Flash: "Eddie, man, you got it all wrong."
Eddie: "Stealin' my moves, my style, nigga you even tryna riff like me!"
Flash: "(looks over) Hey man why don't you get your boy out here and detox him?"
Eddie: "You want my spot, Flash, hmm? Scum-dwellin', scum-suckin', slug-ass mothafucka! (Flash slams door in Eddie's face) (laughs) You want my spot, Flash?! Huh?! Well you ain't gonna get it 'cause you ain't got it! (hits door with shoulder and leaves)"


[Edited 4/8/10 19:07pm]

missfee said:

Well I read it in Jet. Robert wanted to do the same thing to "The Five Heartbeats" the same thing he did with "Hollywood Shuffle" but the Dells advised him not to, his words. So in a way it's like the male version of Dreamgirls.
[Edited 4/8/10 19:05pm]

Breaks the heart! Eddie is broke ass with his old outfit on. Choirboy just looking at the sky wishing it was all a dream.

Flash sittin' up there with two women looking like Superfly.

Timmy84 said:

My all time favorite line in the whole movie!!! I'm serious!!!
Timmy you are a genius baby!!!!! Pure genius!!!!

Aside from the musical performances, my fav scenes were with Big Red. Dude was representing every crooked record exec there ever was.

Oh lord the balcony scene with Big Red and Bird!!!

Bird is like "I need to talk to you."
Red is like "My office hours are from 9 to 5"
Bird is like "I need to talk to you about my royalties and how you keep your books!"

Then Big Red just pops his ass and gets to boot kickin'! You don't threaten no gangster especially when you're by yourself and he has all his thug boys around! What was Bird thinking?

Red says "Open up the gatdamn window" and his boys take Bird out to the balcony and dangle his ass over the rail. His pants split but there was like no dick or balls or even underwear. That was strange.

My other favorite scene is when Eleanor (Jimmy's wife) finally gives it to Big Red after he had the nerve to show up at Jimmy's funeral after Jimmy was killed by Big Red's henchmen (you could hear gun shots after the truck hits Jimmy) and Big Red trying to console her saying "I'm here for you, you shouldn't be left alone, maybe sometime..." then she hits him in the shoulder and hisses, "how dare you come here...you disrespected my husband..." then yells "GET OUT now." I cried during that scene and shook my head at the same time because I know how cold Big Red was.

Another favorite part is when Jimmy confronts Big Red about Big Red trying to get Eddie out of the Heartbeats for a solo deal.

Eddie and the other Heartbeats have a fight after Jimmy's funeral with Dresser whupping Eddie for him thinking he played a part in Jimmy's death and Eddie crying, flatly denying it.

Dresser: "TELL 'EM EDDIE! TELL 'EM ABOUT YOUR ROLE IN JIMMY'S ACCIDENT! TELL 'EM ABOUT YOUR DEAL WITH THAT RED SUMMABITCH!" TELL 'EM!"
Eddie: "Oh God I didn't know "

Dresser was initially held back by Choirboy, JT and Eddie until Dresser screamed those words.

Oh yeah and that scene with Bird and Big Red is an instant classic.

missfee said:

Thanks.

DesireeNevermind said:

He WAS wearing underwear. It was just the same color as his skin.

But no Desiree you forget the cool thing that Bird said right before getting his ass whupped.

Just as Big Red explains, "My office hours are from 9 to 5.", Bird shouts:

"FUCK your office hours, I need to talk to you right now, mothaFUCKA!" That's when Big Red knocks him to the ground and his voice goes up three octaves.

By the end Red's hair's a conky mess and he slyly tells Bird about his office hours, then Bird, who's obviously weeping, "nine to five "

Oh yeah and Duck and JT's conversations were hilarious.

The game they played to get girls' phone numbers, then JT saying he can't control his womanizing ways and Duck telling him to address himself as this:

"I'm JT Matthews and I can't control my dick."

It felt like Leon was in every Bio Film that was on African American Singers lol

Timmy84 said:

Oh yes!!! Bird tried to get all hard and gangster. Big mistake. And Red's finger waved hair sure did become a jheri curl mess. Bird's hair oddly enough, stayed fantastic and styled. You sure he had on brown underwear? Maybe that was just skin and he was tucked to the side. Yes I was looking hard.

Big Red was telling some joke about a king and his daughters right? I can't recall exactly.

Timmy84 said:

Hell yes!!!
"Don't this Big Red, Don't do it!!!!"
"Let me up, let me up"!!!!!

Big Red: "Now, if you have any more problems about how I keep the books, my office hours are from.....my office hours are from..????"
Bird: (in a wimpering voice) "Nine to five"
[Edited 4/8/10 19:29pm]

babybugz said:

Just David Ruffin and Little Richard.

I think Leon and Harry Lennix was the only ones of the actors who could actually sing. Don't know about Robert or Tico Wells (Choirboy) but I know Michael's vocals were lipped.

Oddly enough Leon was acting just like Eddie Kane in the Temptations film when he played David Ruffin. That was odd.

Timmy84 said:

But he did it so well. Leon definitely played that part to a tee and took his role seriously. I loved him as David Ruffin.