Rotten
Too ill defined to emerge from the pack of box office also-rans.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
Why Do Fools Fall In Love
The story of three very different women.....with one husband in common.
1998 · 1h 56m · R
Drama, Romance
Directed by
Gregory Nava
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Why Do Fools Fall In Love
Overview
In the mid-80s, three women (each with an attorney) arrive at the office of New York entertainment manager, Morris Levy. One is an L.A. singer, formerly of the Platters; one is a petty thief from Philly; one teaches school in a small Georgia town. Each claims to be the widow of long-dead doo-wop singer-songwriter Frankie Lyman, and each wants years of royalties due to his estate, money Levy has never shared. During an ensuing civil trial, flashbacks tell the story of each one's life with Lyman, a boyish, high-pitched, dynamic performer, lost to heroin. Slowly, the three wives establish their own bond.
Director and cast
- Gregory Nava Director
- Larenz Tate as Frankie Lymon
- Halle Berry as Zola Taylor
- Vivica A. Fox as Elizabeth 'Mickey' Waters
- Lela Rochon as Emira Eagle
- Pamela Reed as Judge Lambrey
- Clifton Powell as Lawrence Roberts
- Paul Mazursky as Morris Levy
- Miguel A. Núñez Jr. as Young Little Richard
- James Gleason as Stage Manager
- Ben Vereen as Richard Barrett
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
54%
Tomatometer
Fresh
A celebration of pop fantasies, a boyish rascal with a helium voice, and three pretty fools who fell in love with him.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Fresh
A fresh, enlightening example of how to take a tragic American show-business story and make it funny, warm and terrifically entertaining.
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
Rotten
Though Nava's soapy directing style makes Fools watchable enough in a campy way, the film's unsophisticated nature undermines its better qualities.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Fresh
Foolproof fun!
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
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