The Temptations lives and story as a group had so many ups and downs, joys and tragedies, achievements and disappointments, it made for such a wonderful movie. I have seen it dozens of times, moved to joy, tears and getting up to sing every time. I want to come to the defense of Otis Williams. When one writes a movie, a play or a book, it is written by someone who sees the events as THEY see it. May not always be factual or how the other members or their families saw the events or the feelings they had towards them. Writers and producers will rearrange some events and perhaps toy with the time lines a bit for dramatic purposes. You can't take any biographical movie and be certain all is totally accurate. I don't think, according to various sources I have read, that the movie was that far from the way it happened. You have to make a movie in a reasonable amount of time otherwise it'll run for hours, as long as this one was. The actors were fabulous and they did such a masterful job dubbing and choreographing the music. If indeed, some events were altered a bit, I believe their achievements were well laid out and the tragic demises close as to how it happened. I am a big Motown fan and R & B fan of the mid 60's, 70's and early 80's. I developed a much larger appreciation for the Temptations with this movie and have loaded their Anthology album on my I-Pod. I thank the producers and Otis Willialms for that. The other members no longer with us are sorely missed. I am a huge fan of all who did lead in many of their hits; Eddie, David and Dennis.

GREAT COMMENTS. love to see most are promising,positive and true to heart comments,as i am watching it again today with a friend on VH-1 and i love it each time it come on.I shall order it finally on DVD this 2011.love it! my teen girl,actually love it just as much as i.she realize what as she say"real music is mommie"she knows! even if i was born not till in the 70s i see what and Understand,being a nyc artist/songwriter myself,know what REAL music is,and beyond the tragedy etc.that real music is the temptation songs throughout,as well as a few other great groups,but they are clearly at the top,RIP to all who have died,as i think 1 is left,so glad they left us with such great musica por vida,siempre...por eternidad.A beyond great film.1 of the best,ever,and i mean EVER done.Period.....so i give it 10 stars easy. adios!

The TV movie story of the street-doowop to soul-superstar Temptations from 1958 to 1995 when bass singer Melvin Franklyn died. Strict historical accuracy is not what this film is about, but what is accurate is the reconstruction of the act and the music, which is what matters in a movie. The first half is full of vignettes of the (black) music biz in Detroit in the early Motown days, which is genuinely moving in a few places; and although the second half tends towards the schmaltzy, it's good to be reminded of the seminal records that the group continued to put out after David Ruffin parted company, and of the way that members of a group that big have deeper bonds than most people, including their own families. It's told from the viewpoint of Otis Williams, who is the only Temp to survive all incarnations of the group, so he naturally he tends to get an easy ride, but it does acknowledge (in the great end sequence) that the David Ruffin lineup was the best there could be. The scene where he and Eddie Kendricks sing to the punter in the supper club is a killer. Well worth the two-and a half hours running time, which is not something you can say of many TV movies this long. Better IMHO than 'Walk the Line', which was no turkey itself. If you love Motown, don't miss it.

Charles Malik Whitfield, D.B. Woodside, Terron Brooks, Christian Payton and Leon had their singing and stepping roles down absolutely cold. It was hard to believe they weren't the original Temptations. Scenes and voiceovers depicting how Berry Gordy's successful Hitsville USA machine worked provided good background. While it was run as a serious business, one can also see that it functioned like a fraternity, with major love and minor hate relationships, a place where everyone in all the departments rated every aspect of everyone else. An act had to have genuine talent to become a part of the fold. There was brief mention of a few other Motown solo and group acts; that brevity was a plus because that left more time to know and understand the prime characters. I only wish there had been more, and/or more lengthy, runs of their legendary songs showing their syncopated moves. The reprise of their signature number at the end of the film was an outstanding enhancement. The film triggered a wide range of emotions in the various fates that befell the group's original members - emotions capably shown by the actors in their roles, also emotions among the viewers watching them: surprise, hope, excitement, pride, shock, pity, and sorrow, among others. The never-ending shifting sands of whether David Ruffin would stay in the group or be out for his own reasons or the reasons of others eventually became a bit tedious. Also, the periodic revolving door among the Temptations and the opportunistic creation of counterfeit groups boasting the same name frequently required good concentration to keep all the individual players straight. However, on those two points, Otis Williams who wrote the book was there, and the film's executive producer Suzanne De Passe was there, so those events deserved their screen time. As one of the frequent writers of material for the group, William "Smokey" Robinson was portrayed by an actor and also actually appeared himself. The real-life Smokey's presence was a spectacularly captivating musical moment; the song he wrote and sang near the film's end could very well be the greatest musical tribute of all time to a departed loved one. "The Temptations...Forever" is a recurring theme during the film. This movie's story line and the performances of the five lead actors will help ensure that it stays that way.