Product Details

• Actors: Robert Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon, Harry Lennix, Tico Wells
• Directors: Robert Townsend
• Writers: Robert Townsend, Keenen Ivory Wayans
• Producers: Robert Townsend, Christina Schmidlin, Kokayi Ampah, Loretha C. Jones
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: January 22, 2002
• Run Time: 121 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005RT3I
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #34,108 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Few things can be more noble than a wholehearted effort to tell the story of black secular music in America, especially through the eyes of a mid-20th century rhythm-and-blues vocal group breaking through race barriers to popular success. Comedian and filmmaker Robert Townsend's The Five Heartbeats (1991) is one such ambitious effort. If its story frequently sags under epochal burdens, the film makes up for it with a surprisingly tough look at the music business and classy appearances by Diahann Carroll and hoofer Harold Nicholas. Townsend plays one-fifth of the titular act, whose collective life and times we follow from 1965 to the 1990s, through friendships, break-ups, and re-groupings. The director's script, cowritten with Keenen Ivory Wayans, is wobbly and short on good material for the women in the cast. But several of the male actors are quite strong, particularly John Canada Terrell as an original Heartbeats replacement. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Heartbeat Movie Review, July 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Five Heartbeats [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of my all time favorite movies. It reveals the real life joys, struggles, and sorrows experienced by black music artists of the 60's era. This movie is a treat and monument to American music. It can be enjoyed by people of all backgrounds and nationalities. The Five Heartbeats tapped into my emotional highway. This movie is a classic. I only wish this movie would have recieved the publicity it deserved while it was playing at a theatre near you. Thank you Mr. Robert Townsend for a job well done!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably one of the best movies I've ever seen, March 19, 2006

By	stevey wundar (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Five Heartbeats (DVD)

"Some people run at the first sight of stormy weather ... But SOME people hold on and work it out together." -- Breakout lyric from the movie's soundtrack.

This movie has absolutely everything.

It's got comedy of all sorts, yet this movie really isn't a comedy.

And it's got compelling moments that'll make you think and make you feel some kinda way about given relatable characters and life circumstances, yet I wouldn't exactly fit this movie into a mold of your typical drama.

"The Five Heartbeats" is the loosely autobiographical tale of the rise, fall and ultimately triumph in life of a hit five-man R&B group from the 1960s (my father and uncles have an ongoing debate about whether this group's experiences were based upon The Temptations, The Four Tops or The Dells).

This movie seems like a real-enough, real life story about how money, fame and stardom can breed distrust, hate, disloyalty and an assortment of shady dealings that could undue any family relationship or close friendship.

The story follows five young men who start out as close friends who share a common passion and talent: singing.

Of course, they get "discovered" but as they start to and eventually make it big, they discover their moment at the top is filled with tragedy, anger, addictions and deceptions of all kinds -- realities totally different from the starry-eyed images they'd had of "making it big" once upon a time.

Overall, this movie is very much uplifting because, while it takes a life time, these five friends eventually overcome the past and learn some invaluable life lessons.

This is a movie for families -- the plot and various scenes will be interpreted differently by kids and adults, however, both demographics will be able to relate to this movie's overall theme and message.

Fame and fortune are fleeting. Friendships -- good friendships -- are priceless.

This is a movie that was out and out ignored by Hollwyood.

Easily Robert Townsend's best film and deserving of Academy Award consideration.

Awesome acting, brilliant writing and a blazingly inspiring soundtrack.

This movie is the complete package.

Perhaps the most recommended movie pitch I'll ever make on Amazon for one film!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guaranteed crowd-pleasing movie and one you can watch over and over and over, and not get tired of.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Near Great, February 1, 2001

By	Arctic Voice Earl - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Five Heartbeats [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a fine movie about the rise, and fall, of some of the super black rock groups in the 60s and 70s. It also shows, but kind of over-simplifies (I hope) how the white,squeaky clean groups covered a lot of the material and made out with big bucks. I will always remember one of the early scenes where Michael Wright's character Eddie, the lead singer of the Heartbeats, barely escapes a violent card game and comes running and sliding on stage to join the Heartbeats in an on-stage competition. But there could have been a lot more music and a little less sub-plot ---sex, racist Southern cops, etc. And the final scene----why on earth couldn't the movie show the members actually singing once again when they got together? But it is a great effort and you will enjoy it. I love the music so, that I wanted this movie to tell it all. But it told a lot.