A VH1 Original Movie that covers the lives – professional and personal – of the three members of the R&B girl group TLC. There was the side of their rise to becoming the all-time best selling R&B girl group that the media fed us and then there was what actually happened. The biopic tells the TLC version of their tale.
Fame and fortune are not the entire picture of the girl group TLC. Chilli (Keke Palmer – from television’s Masters of Sex), T-Boz (Drew Sidora – Wild Hogs, White Chicks) and Left Eye (Lil Mama – first film) got together and while their albums sold like hot cakes behind the scenes was not smooth sailing. They had to deal with illness, a horrible contract, fights, arrests, and death.
TLC sprung up out of the active Atlanta music scene. T-Boz and Left Eye, who was originally from Philadelphia, auditioned with a third girl for Pebbles (Rochelle Aytes – from television’s Mistresses) and L.A. Reid (Carl Anthony Payne II – from television’s Martin). While T-Boz and Left Eye made an impression the third girl did not make the cut. The search was on for a third and Chilli connected immediately with the other two. Soon the girls became known as TLC and were shooting to the top of the music charts with songs like “Waterfalls”, “Creep” and “Scrubs”.
As far as biopics go this is a decent one but don’t expect movie quality. It suffers a little from TV production, but not enough to decrease your enjoyment. I could write about how the minor characters were not fleshed out enough and how portions of the story like Left Eye being arrested for burning down Andre Rison’s house were rushed. That would be me guilty of giving you a slanted review, though. The weaknesses are much smaller than the film’s strengths.
Pretty much the perfect actresses were selected to play the three main characters. Not only do they all look like the ladies they are portraying, but their acting skills are up to the challenge. Plus they could all dance and Keke and Drew could sing and Lil Mama was a convincing rapper.
Another interesting aspect is the portrayal of the music industry and its exploitation of musicians. TLC should have been making money hand over fist and yet because of an awful contract actually had to declare bankruptcy. A warning for all young aspiring singers or bands. Have a lawyer read your contract and don’t feel pressured into signing.
Special Features:
-The TLC Story
-Cast Interviews
-TLC in Their Own Words