Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998)

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:

Doo Wop | Money | Widow | Estate | Singer

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:

Continuity: When Mickey is telling her story about how she met Frankie, she attended a concert in which Frankie was to perform. When Frankie is out on stage singing, the microphone switches positions from the middle of the stage on a black square, to the middle of the stage on a white square, and then to the front of the stage on a white square.

Quotes:

Frankie Lymon: How come you keep stepping on my heart?
Zola Taylor: You prefer I pee on it? That's what's going to happen if you don't let me off this bus.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

(Love is Like a) Heat Wave

Entertaining delight!

The filmmakers know you've heard this tale before - true life chronicle of a young singing star's rise and tragic fall - and so they wisely downplay the standard bio trappings and instead focus on a raucously entertaining ride through Frankie Lymon's woman troubles. The smart screenplay revolves around the court battle of Lymon's three wives (yes, three!) over song royalties, leading to vivid (and often humorously contradictory) flashbacks of their lives with the singer. Larenz Tate is magnetic playing the many different sides of the ever-changing lead character, but the film ultimately belongs to Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox and Lela Rochon as the wives. Each is allowed to shine as the trio portrays 30 years of changes in the women's lives, with Fox drop-dead hilarious as the most outrageous of the three. There's beautifully detailed '60s-era cinematography, sets, costuming and musical numbers, plus a side-splitting turn by Miguel Nunez as a young Little Richard. Major issues (such as '60s race relations) are barely glanced at, but what this film lacks in depth, it makes up for ten-fold in entertainment value. A winner!