DIVA du jour Beyoncé Knowles may be the draw, but the real star of "The Fighting Temptations" is the sensational gospel soundtrack.

The big-hearted comedic musical adheres too closely to the tried-and-true recipe of "putting on a show," but it literally soars every time the talented cast breaks into one of the many joyous, raise-the-roof numbers.

Beyoncé - whose sweet, down-to-earth single mom retains some of the sass that characterized her cartoonish Foxxy Cleopatra in "Austin Powers in Goldmember" - leads a powerhouse cast of R&B, gospel and hip-hop talent, including the O'Jays, Faith Evans, Melba Moore, the falsetto-voiced Montell Jordan and rapper T-Bone (who nails a terrific soul-rap version of "To Da River").

Cuba Gooding Jr. lets out his inner Rod Tidwell - the live wire "Jerry Maguire" character that won him an Oscar six years ago - whenever he's directing the ragtag choir made up of these singers.

The rest of the time he's surprisingly subdued as Darrin Hill, a cynical ad exec from New York City who lives on a shaky foundation of lies and overextended credit.

He and his mother (Evans) were run out of their one-horse Southern hometown when he was a child, after his mom opted to sing "that R&B sex music" in nightclubs instead of the local Baptist church choir.

But, after violating what his boss calls the 11th commandment - "Thou shalt not get caught" - hustler Darrin loses his job and returns to Monte Carlo, Ga., for his Aunt Sally's funeral.

There he learns she has left him a welcome $150,000 inheritance - on the condition he take over her job as director of the choir and guide them to success at the annual Gospel Explosion competition.

Naturally, the existing choir is a mess, and Darrin has just six weeks to convince anyone who can hold a note in Monte Carlo to unite in one harmonious chorus.

With bitchy, overbearing church treasurer Paulina (LaTanya Richardson) running interference, he manages to corral a drunken organist, three prison inmates, two oversexed teens, a barbershop quartet - and Lilly (Beyoncé).

His childhood sweetheart - who knocks him out with a slinky rendition of Peggy Lee's "Fever" - has grown up into a gorgeous, strong-willed jazz singer who is shunned by some members of the church as a "fallen woman" because she has an illegitimate son.

But her angel's voice can lead the choir to greatness - and Darrin has the hots for her.

The chemistry between the two leads is only fair to middling - and Lilly's repeated capitulation to the slick-talking Darrin rings false - but the supporting cast, particularly Mike Epps' connoisseur of "southern booty," hits all the right notes.

There's some spot-on comic dialogue, courtesy of screenwriters Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson, and director Jonathan Lynn ("The Whole Nine Yards," "My Cousin Vinny") keeps the energy level high over the two-hour running time.