The Worst Film Ever

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

I did not have TV, so I rented movies, and found this TV mini-series at a used media outlet. I have watched it over 20 times over a 5 year period. I felt alone in my obsession until I checked online for other reviews. The music makes my heart feel glad, and the acting and special tone of the relationships and cadence of the speech pleases me no end. I read everything you can find on the Tempts. They were a favorite in college, lying on my dorm bed with earphones on -- however, the mini-series which honors the music, dancing, and stage appearances has earned, in my heart, top honors. If a famous actor had been in it, it would have won an Academy Award. And probably not been as good as it is. Congratulations to everyone involved.

I must admit - the Tempts were my favorite Motown group. I knew a lot about them. But not nearly as much as this film portrays. I quickly fell into the category of believing that these 5 (or 7 with Richard Street and Dennis Edwards) actors were the real thing.The emotion in this story can be best seen in the woman's eyes at the Eddie Kendricks solo show when he and guest David Ruffin serenade her with "You're My Everything." And Ruffin's audition on New Year's Eve when he first opens his mouth in "Shout" drew revere from the four Tepts who performed the encore.I could write for hours about this film. But if you have any interest in Motown or any music form the 60's or any era, this is absolutely a MUST SEE.And - II met Otis WIlliams recently and I asked him 2 questions: 1) Which voice was hardest to replace (answer - none) and 2) Which original Tempt does he miss the most (answer - Melvin "Blue" Franklin, of course)."And the band played on...." Melvin Franklin

The camera work has the usual claustrophobic box look of most television films. The editing is incredibly choppy, and the continuity is really awful sometimes. There are also clichés in abundance - David Ruffin getting tossed out of a car is pure detective-show melodrama, but doesn't really resolve the whole Ruffin problem in the film. And there's plenty of lag-time, especially in the second half.All that said, the story is surprisingly very strong, the characters fascinating, the performances energetic, and the music is very well presented. The sense of the historical change of context surrounding the characters is also accurate and convincing, although played quietly (actually works better that way).The first half especially is a treat. A strong effort to do the group, its music, and its history justice.

Colorful looking TV miniseries about the life and times of the Motown super group known as the Temptations, arguably the greatest group to have come out of the Motown era, specifically focusing on the "Classic 5" line up: Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams (no relation to Otis) who, at the peak of their popularity, could win over any audience. But fame & fortune came at a price, as each of these five young men would learn the hard way. And when push came to shove, when the pressure of living in the spotlight got to be too much, tempers flared, egos clashed, giving rise to rivalries that threatened to destroy the group. Throughout it all, from tragedy to triumph - and there was plenty of both - these gifted singers still forged one of the greatest musical legacies the world has ever known.Adapted from the autobiography by Otis Williams, the group's De facto leader and the only surviving founding member, the film comes from his perspective and focuses a great deal on him and his best friend, the group's bass singer Melvin Franklin. So naturally, we are probably meant to sympathize with him most and Melvin (let's face, nobody sees themselves as a bad person and even when admitting their faults, they'll only make themselves out to be so bad). The once lovably laid back and very funny David Ruffin is predictably portrayed in an unflattering light once his ego inflates to paramount proportions after fame goes to his head, which understandably upsets his family and relatives to the point that they sued Otis Williams and the film's production company, because lets face it, no one likes to see their son/brother/father/grandfather/uncle portrayed in such a way, regardless of what his personal habits may have been. Hell, David Ruffin is more or less the poster child for how fame/success can ruin a man, and his own life became so wrought with problems (ranging from ego management to the painful cocaine addiction that eventually destroyed him) that you could probably make an entire film focused solely on him. It really is a shame that the real Ruffin wasted what little time he was going to have with his ego and personal problems getting in the way of his career, because he was a great singer and a great showman. Also sad to see is the tragic fate that befell Paul Williams, who's alcoholism (brought on in part by sickle cell anemia, which the film fails to mention) also got in the way of both his career and his life, which came to an end at 34 (Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin and Melvin Franklin all made to at least 50).The film does not really give much focus to Dennis Edwards, the large, powerfully built Contours singer who replaced David Ruffin as the group's lead singer in the late 1960s, leading them through the psychedelic, funk and disco periods, and little is said of the problems that later arose between him and Otis Williams, though they do give screen time to his anger over being asked to sing the first verse of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone", since his own father died really died on the 3rd of September.Naturally, there are liberties taken to fit the running time. Perhaps the most offensive liberty taking concerns the death of Melvin Franklin - in the film Melvin is shown dying while visiting his mother with Otis, when in reality Melvin died in a hospital after slipping into a coma. This was reportedly done because the miniseries was put together not long after Melvin had died and it was just too personal for them to really face. Another inaccuracy is that Dennis Edwards is shown touring with Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin before the group' reunion tour in the early 1980s, when in reality he didn't start touring with them until after the group was inducted into the rock & roll hall of fame in the late 80s. On top of that, Kendricks and Ruffin didn't start touring together until after the reunion tour. How many other liberties are taken is anyone's guess, though the film remains entertaining and still gives an overall general overview of the group's history while also serving to showcase the group's music to a new generation.