Cast: Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox, Lela Rochon, Larenz Tate, Paul Mazursky, Little Richard, Pamela
Reed
Director: Gregory Nava
Producers: Paul Hall, Stephen Nemeth
Screenplay: Tina Andrews
Cinematography: Ed Lachman
Music: Stephen James Taylor
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
It was in the mid-'50s when, at the tender age of 13, Frankie Lymon burst onto the pop music scene with the Top 10 hit, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Frankie and the Teenagers, as the group was called, became an instant success story. Soon, prodded by an unscrupulous manager, Frankie went solo, and his fall from grace was as spectacular as his meteoric rise. By the age of 20, he was a washed-up has-been whose only gigs were nostalgia shows. Seven years later, he was dead of a drug overdose. But, even in death, Frankie Lymon's story continued. In 1981, Diana Ross' cover of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" became a financial success, and this led to an unusual court case over music rights. During his lifetime, Frankie had married three women, but he never divorced any of them. Now, they all wanted a piece of his legacy and the decision was left up to a court of law as to who was legally entitled to be called Mrs. Frankie Lymon.
These are the essential facts behind Gregory Nava's spotty-but-entertaining biopicture of the '50s singing star. Actually, while Frankie (played by Larenz Tate) has more screen time than any other character, Why Do Fools Fall in Love is more about his wives, and the hardships they endured while with him, than about him. By the end of the film, we have a clearer picture of Zola Taylor (Halle Berry), Elizabeth Waters (Vivica A. Fox), and Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon) than we do of the self-destructive singer. Frankie may be at the center of the movie, but his wives represent its heart, soul, and funny bone.
Nava and screenwriter Tina Andrews have structured this film non-conventionally. It opens in the '80s with the court battle over the rights to Why Do Fools Fall in Love, then gradually tells the story of Frankie's life and loves via point-of-view flashbacks from several witnesses as they take the stand. These include Zola, Elizabeth, Emira, and (in a cameo appearance as himself) Little Richard. There's actually a bit of Rashomon in the way Frankie's life is presented. Depending on who's telling the tale, Frankie's personality shifts, and one scene is shown from two dissimilar perspectives. Why Do Fools Fall in Love affirms the message of the great Kurosawa film: there is no such thing as "absolute truth."
Nava has an A-list cast to work with. Larenz Tate (Kevin Costner's The Postman), one of Hollywood's rising black stars, is perfectly cast as Frankie. His performance brings out the charismatic mix of playful sexiness and easygoing innocence that women (at least three of them) found irresistible. And, on stage, Tate's Frankie is magnificent. Halle Berry (Bulworth), Vivica A. Fox (Soul Food), and Lela Rochon (Waiting to Exhale) portray Zola, Elizabeth, and Emira, respectively. They are three radically different individuals. Zola, a member of the singing group The Platters, is sophisticated. Elizabeth, a poor shoplifter, is crass. And Emira, a schoolteacher, is prim and proper. The actresses have little difficulty with the challenge of presenting characters that age over a thirty year span, and the prosthetics necessary to make the young performers appear to be middle-aged are not overdone. Paul Mazursky plays Frankie's seedy agent, and Rock and Roll icon Little Richard is typically over-the-top. Having toured with Frankie during the '50s and '60s, Little Richard was also able to contribute to the script.
The indisputable highlights of Why Do Fools Fall in Love are the performance sequences, which explode off the screen with immediacy and energy. Using Frankie's original, digitally-remastered recordings, Nava effectively re-creates what it was like to watch this performer on stage. As was true in his previous feature, the underrated Selena, Nava uses music as an integral part of the overall experience. If there's one area where the script stumbles, it comes during the '80s sequences, when the three wives begin bonding. Even considering the extraordinary circumstances that bring them together, this kind of interaction is not credible.
Why Do Fools Fall in Love has a nearly two hour running length, but the manner in which Nava has structured it, with frequent leaps backward and forward through several decades, keeps the viewer involved for the entire time. The focus on the women and the different points-of- view used to piece together the story give Why Do Fools Fall in Love an edge. Despite employing the familiar motion picture elements of sex, greed, and music, this is not a run-of-the- mill biopic.
© 1998 James Berardinelli