Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Gregory Nava

Writer (WGA):

Tina Andrews (written by)

Release Date:

28 August 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

The story of three very different women.....with one husband in common.

Plot:

In the mid-80s, three women (each with an attorney) arrive at the office of New York entertainment manager...

Plot Keywords:

Attorney | Singer | Widow | Estate | Doo Wop

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Halle Berry	...	Zola Taylor
Vivica A. Fox	...	Elizabeth 'Mickey' Waters
Lela Rochon	...	Emira Eagle
Larenz Tate	...	Frankie Lymon
Paul Mazursky	...	Morris Levy
Pamela Reed	...	Judge Lambrey
Alexis Cruz	...	Herman Santiago
David Barry Gray	...	Peter Markowitz
Miguel A. Núñez Jr.	...	Young Little Richard (as Miguel A. Nunez Jr.)
Clifton Powell	...	Lawrence Roberts
Lane Smith	...	Ezra Grahme
Ben Vereen	...	Richard Barrett
Paula Jai Parker	...	Paula King
Marcello Thedford	...	Drug Dealer
Norris Young	...	Jimmy

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Company:

Rhino Films

Trivia:

Toni Braxton was set for a role in the film, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Elizabeth Waters testified in court that she first met Frankie in 1961, but in the flashback to their first meeting, the music playing on the department store stereo is "Walk On The Wild Side", not released in 1962.

Quotes:

Ezra Grahme: [while questioning Emira Eagle] Ma'am, do you hold any degrees?
Elizabeth 'Mickey' Waters: Is the Pope an old white man?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: The Greatest Adventure in the History of Basic Cable (#3.4)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Try a Little Tenderness

The Melodramatic Bio-Picture: Why Do Fools Fall in Love?

Why Do Fools Fall in Love? (1998) was an interesting picture about the troubled life of Frankie Lymon. Three women claiming to be his wife are in court to fight over his meager estate. Gregory Nava (fresh off of SELENA) does a better job in capturing the lost soul that was Frankie Lymon. But he just scratches the surface of this very bizarre and complicated individual. Larenz Tate does one hell of a job in the role of Frankie. His wives (Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox, Lela Rochon) are very good in their roles. An entertaining film that I wished was more in depth.

A good start but it needs to be fleshed out some more. Maybe Mr. Nava should have focused more on the group when they were younger and rising through the top of the charts. A younger actor would have been helpful as well (Frankie Lymon was a small dude). But the film wasn't all that bad, they even showed us a side of Mr. Lymon I never even knew existed. Not an offensive film, just a nice timer waster.

Recommended.