by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
How many more comedies about groups of aging women going on some sort of adventure can Hollywood possibly make? On the surface, this growing trend is both a fun opportunity and a curse for big-named stars like Sally Field, Rita Moreno, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin. But the issue is that it is such a limited space with only so many stories to tell.
So does Bleecker Street’s latest offering of The Fabulous Four stand out amongst this crowded field? Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly incorporate a lot of tropes in their screenplay. Four friends — Lou (Susan Sarandon), Marilyn (Bette Midler), Alice (Megan Mullally), and Kitty (Sheryl Lee Ralph) — who have not spent enough time with each other come together in the exciting locale of Key West. There is of course some serious conflict between at least two of them — Marilyn and Lou haven’t spoken in years because of a man (of course). You have the one friend who is wild and likes to sleep around (Mullally and her manic energy). This time around, though, Marilyn is preparing for her wedding while trying to rekindle her friendships.
What are the most important core pieces of this comedy? The titular four. Marilyn is just big actions and a big attitude without much substance. Midler is theatrical, and her playing it all big gets tiring after a while. Lou is the biggest stereotypical stick-in-the-mud, and she just comes off as bland. Sarandon is just shackled to look miserable and flat for the whole film. There are some fleeting moments that stand out, but they are not enough for the audience to connect. Alice is just one giant mess of a character with little characterization, and Mullally’s acting choices just don’t land. Ralph is the only one who has any substance to work with, and she makes Kitty feel like an authentic human being. Disappointingly, the only time the whole dynamic feels fun is a closing musical number.
What about the story? The wedding narrative is so anticlimactic, which makes the whole structure feel like a waste. The film quickly tips its hand that this is all truly about our leading ladies’ friendship, but when you don’t buy into the characters, it’s hard to invest in that story. There are three younger folks who intermittently show up at the most random times, and an inside joke about the randomness is not enough to make up for the bad logic. They are only here to make generational jokes, but the film fails in saying anything of substance about the topic. It even dabbles in religious prejudice against the LGBTQIA+ community, with a random, forced subplot. Then throw in a few male suitors, like Bruce Greenwood and Timothy V. Murphy, for Sarandon, and you just start to realize the main narrative does not have enough going for it, so it had to be padded.
Is The Fabulous Four a worthwhile addition to this growing subgenre of comedy? Not quite. There is nothing from a filmmaking standpoint that stands out. The talented titular four actors are wasted for the most part because of their shallow characters. There are a few laughs along the way, but not enough to keep the momentum going. The Fabulous Four is just another flick with too many bland characters and tropes to ever really care about.
Rating: Didn’t Like It
The Fabulous Four is currently playing in theaters
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