Features: DVD, Widescreen
Oscar winner* Cuba Gooding, Jr. stars as Darrin Hill, a slick-talking but down-on-his-luck NYC advertising exec who returns to his hometown in Georgia to claim the inheritance his aunt left him. But before Darrin can collect the money, he must fulfill his aunt's final wish - to create a local choir and lead them on to win the annual 'Gospel Explosion' competition.
Darrin soon finds out that his hometown is full of colorful characters but short on talented singers. Then he meets Lilly (Beyonce Knowles), a beautiful jazz singer with a heavenly voice. Darrin sees Lilly as the answer to his prayers, if he can convince her his intentions are good and persuade her to sing.
Watch as Darrin tries to take this spiritual motley crew to victory and along the way realize that this aunt left him something much more than an inheritance.
Featuring performances by Shirley Caesar, The O'Jays and other music greats.
*1996 Best Supporting Actor, Jerry Maguire
"A guaranteed crowd pleaser! A movie that soars..." Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
"Thumbs up!... A great, funny movie and audiences are going to love it." Roger Ebert, Ebert & Roeper
Editor's Note
As a young boy growing up in Montecarlo, Georgia, Darrin sings in the church choir alongside his mother (Faith Evans). He and his mom leave town after the choir discovers that she has been singing rhythm and blues in a local club. Twenty years later, Darrin (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) is a broke, junior-level advertising executive in New York City who has just been fired. Summoned back to Montecarlo when his only living relative dies, Darrin discovers that he stands to inherit her estate if he can revive the choir at his old church and win the annual Gospel Explosion. Against the odds, Darrin assembles a first-rate choir of talented quirky characters. He also recruits Lilly (Beyonc Knowles), a jazz singer and single mother who just may steal his heart and help him find himself. Rich with impressive musical talent culled from the worlds of gospel, hip-hop, and R&B, the choir includes members of The O'Jays, as well as T-Bone, Melba Moore, Angie Stone, the Reverend Shirley Caesar, Zane, and Montell Jordan. Directed by Jonathan Lynn, the film also stars LaTanya Richardson, Steve Harvey, Wendell Pierce, Mike Epps, and Rue McClanahan.
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