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:

Based on a true story of love, music and money.

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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

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.

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Quotes

Judge Lambrey: Am I to believe there are three women claiming to be the widow of Frank Joseph Lymon?

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Connections

References The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)

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Soundtracks

"Call to Prayer"
Traditional arrangement by Peter Gabriel
Produced by Peter Gabriel
Performed by Baaba Maal (as Baaba Maal)
Courtesy of Real World Records/Caroline Records, Inc.

User Reviews

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!