Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Schonfeld
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
The rise and fall of a flashy, fictional 1960s rock group.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Five Heartbeats
What's the Story?
Five good friends from an urban neighborhood come together to make music. With Motown at its prime and the country clamoring for more rock, more glitz, and more explosive performances, THE FIVE HEARTBEATS emerge from obscurity to reach the top of the pop charts. On their way, they face corruption in the music industry, racial injustice, and self-destructive behavior in their ranks. Loyal sweethearts urge them on; relationships are broken and mended, and greedy maniacal record producers will stop at nothing to control their destiny.
Is It Any Good?
Despite the spirited and exuberant direction by an ambitious Robert Townsend, THE FIVE HEARTBEATS suffers from an inconsistent tone. Comedy and romance awkwardly co-exist with tragedy and murder, plus there's the corny script with way too many hackneyed complications, and some hammy, overripe acting from usually solid performers. Though the musical numbers are staged with gusto, great costumes, and terrific moves, the songs themselves are forgettable and derivative. The result is a shallow, one-dimensional look at stock African-American characters involved in a rags-to-riches story we've seen many times before.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Eddie's gradual descent into alcoholism and drug addiction. What early scenes did the filmmakers create that warned of Eddie's susceptibility to that kind of behavior? What messages about substance abuse do you take away from this movie?
The two brothers, J.T. and Duck, had a fiery and changeable relationship. How real did it seem? How do you deal with similar conflicts in your own family?
A character's change from the beginning to the end of a movie is called a "character arc." Talk about the "arc" each of the Heartbeats. What did each one learn? What events changed them?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 29, 1991
- On DVD or streaming : January 10, 2006
- Cast : Leon , Michael Wright , Robert Townsend
- Director : Robert Townsend
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Director(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
- Genre : Musical
- Run time : 121 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language
- Last updated : March 14, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate