[I review "The Fabulous Four," "The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat" and "Desperados," movies that remind us how important our girlfriends are!]
The Fabulous Four (2024)
Four old college friends reunite for a wedding in Key West.
Kitty (Sheryl Lee Ralph), Alice (Megan Mullally), Marilyn (Bette Midler) and Lou (Susan Sarandon) were besties in college but over the years they have grown apart. In fact, Marilyn and Lou are estranged because of something Marilyn did to Lou years before.
Now Lou is a doctor, never married, because she "didn't need a man." Kitty is a cannabis farmer, with an overly religious daughter who thinks her mother is going to hell. Marilyn is a widow who is getting married again only a couple of months after the death of her husband of 48 years. She is also a dingbat with an addiction to Tik Tok. And Alice is a bit of a druggie.
Marilyn has invited Kitty and Alice to come down to Key West for her wedding and Kitty and Alice decide this is a good opportunity to get Lou and Marilyn back together. They hatch a plan to lure Lou down to Key West by telling her she has won a raffle from the Hemingway House to win a polydactyl cat. I know... They also think they need to do an intervention on Marilyn to get her off of Tik Tok. And speaking of which, I actually met a 75-year-old woman who was obsessed with Tik Tok, so I guess that's a thing with older women. Not that I would know anything about that.
Anyway, when the three arrive at Marilyn's house in Key West, Lou is furious at the ruse - what? No polydactyl cat? Lou wants to leave, but Kitty convinces her to stay and then Lou meets "Ted (Bruce Greenwood)," a handsome stranger she is attracted to and I could see where this was going a mile away.
Written by Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, silly antics ensue as the women reclaim their friendship. But at least the antics aren't cringey, well, mostly not cringey. Yes, marijuana plays a role. For some reason, older women getting high is supposed to be funny. Not. I cannot stand movies about older women that make fun of older women. The egregious "Summer Camp" is an example of that. But though this one can be silly, it is not disrespectful.
It's good to see Bette Midler again. I have always been a fan and no one does dingbat better than she does. Sarandon, Ralph and Mullally are all good foils for her and each other and the friendships are believable.
But speaking of cringey. Michael Bolton has a singing cameo and I thought, "Geez, what's with Michael Bolton? He really seems out of it." But then recently I learned he had a brain tumor so then I felt guilty about my reaction. Sorry, Michael.
Rosy the Reviewer says...though I had some issues with some of the silliness, the movie was fun, the women were interesting, believable characters and it drew me in. A satisfying story of long-term and renewed friendships. (Apple+ or for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime)
The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can- Eat (2024)
Desperados (2020)
Friends Brooke, Kaylie and Wesley rush to Mexico to try to waylay a nasty email Wesley sent her boyfriend when she was drunk.
Wesley Darya (Nasim Pedrad) is kind of a mess. No, not kind of. She is a big mess. She is struggling to find a job and is desperate to get married and settle down but can't seem to figure out what she is doing wrong. The problem with getting married and settling down is that she doesn't even have a boyfriend. But after a disappointing blind date with a guy named Sean (Lamorne Morris), she literally falls into the arms of handsome Jared (Robbie Amell). Yes, she trips on the sidewalk and he picks her up.
Wesley is so taken with Jared that she cleans up her act and, in fact, literally puts on an act to be what she thinks he wants her to be. After dating for a month, Jared and Wesley finally have sex, but when five days go by and Wesley doesn't hear from Jared, she thinks he is ghosting her. She gets drunk with her two besties, Brooke (Anna Camp) and Kaylie (Sarah Burns), and the three write an angry email to Jared telling him off.
But then wouldn't you know, Jared does call and Wesley discovers that he was in Mexico at a resort and had a serious accident and has been in the hospital for the last five days without his computer. Oh, noooo. What has she done? If he reads that email...
So to save her relationship, Wesley concocts a plan. She and her girlfriends will go down to Mexico, sneak into Jared's room at the resort and delete the email. Brooke and Kaylie reluctantly agree. I mean, that's what friends do, right? A road trip and hijinks ensue. Oh, and wouldn't you know. Remember that guy, Sean, who Wesley met on that blind date? Well, he is at the resort too and gets roped into the hijinks.
Nasim Pedrad (probably best known for her five years on "Saturday Night Live" and last seen in "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F") is really funny in this as are Camp and Burns. Each character has a distinct personality that adds to the fun. Written by Ellen Rapoport and directed by LP, the film has a "Bridesmaids" vibe, and like that film, there are some raunchy moments. Let's just say there is an oversexed dolphin as well as an oversexed pre-teen.
You have to suspend disbelief for a lot of this but if you are in the mood for a silly romp and you are not easily offended, it's fun.
Rosy the Reviewer says...absolutely raunchy at times but absolutely hilarious and a good message: Boyfriends come and go but your girlfriends are forever so don't take them for granted. (Netflix)
NOW CALL YOUR GIRLFRIENDS TO TELL THEM YOU LOVE THEM AND THANK THEM FOR THEIR LOVE AND SUPPORT!!!!
Thanks for reading!
