Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998)

In the mid-80s, three women (each with an attorney) arrive at the office of New York entertainment manager, Morris Levy. One is an L.A. singer, formerly of the Platters; one is a petty ... See full summary »

Director:

Gregory Nava

Writer:

Tina Andrews

Stars:

Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox, Lela Rochon

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In the mid-80s, three women (each with an attorney) arrive at the office of New York entertainment manager, Morris Levy. One is an L.A. singer, formerly of the Platters; one is a petty thief from Philly; one teaches school in a small Georgia town. Each claims to be the widow of long-dead doo-wop singer-songwriter Frankie Lyman, and each wants years of royalties due to his estate, money Levy has never shared. During an ensuing civil trial, flashbacks tell the story of each one's life with Lyman, a boyish, high-pitched, dynamic performer, lost to heroin. Slowly, the three wives establish their own bond.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | widow | attorney | doo wop | money | 

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Taglines:

Three different women married Frankie Lymon. Now as they fight to get a piece of his millions, They will have to prove who married him first and who loved him most.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

A tres bandas

Filming Locations:

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$3,946,382 (USA) (28 August 1998)

Gross:

$12,413,650 (USA) (30 October 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rhino Films, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The dog that is dropped out of the window also appeared in As Good as It Gets.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Zola Taylor: Frankie just needed something different... *all* the time.

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Connections

Features Hullabaloo (1965)

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Soundtracks

"Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud (Part I)"
Written by James Brown and Alfred James Ellis
Performed by James Brown
Courtesy of Polydor Records
By Arrangement with Polygram Film & TV Music

User Reviews

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.