Fox (Tues., Sept. 19, 8 p.m. ET)
C+
A funky Dreamgirls, this film follows a female singing group as they hustle onto the Seattle club scene, hoping for a record contract. En route they encounter the usual hurdles—squabbles, jealousies, personal sacrifices and exploitation. And that's before they finish getting their hair coif fed backstage, girlfriend! Still, the movie has its sharp moments. "Monte says you sang with Paula Abdul," the new recruit, Nicole Ari Parker, says to her soul sister. "What was she like?" "Short," snorts Fatima Lowe. Tammy Townsend and Lisa Carson are the other singers. Khalil Kain is impressive as the group's impresario, a master of crisis management. (It should be noted that the group's music isn't original: the breakout hit, "Ain't Nobody," that Kain "writes" for them is, in fact, an old Chaka Khan tune.) The choreography and performance scenes are lively, but the drama hits too many flat notes.
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