Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998)

Three women each claim to be the widow of 1950s doo-wop singer Frankie Lymon, claiming legal rights to his estate.

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-1980s, three women (each with an attorney) arrive at the office of New York entertainment manager Morris Levy. One is a singer from Los Angeles, formerly of the Platters; one is a petty thief from Philadelphia; one teaches high 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 widows come together and establish their own bond.

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Plot Keywords:

widow | doo wop | singer | estate | 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

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 USA:

$3,946,382, 30 August 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$12,413,650, 1 November 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

When Tina Andrews wrote the original script, the part of Frankie Lymon was first offered to Michael Jackson.

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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

Frankie Lymon: Do you love him?
Zola Taylor: I told you, Frankie. He's a nice, good man...
Frankie Lymon: I didn't ask that! I asked you do you love him?
Zola Taylor: YES! I love him, okay?
Frankie Lymon: Oh, no, no... You said that marriage would tie you down. You just didn't want to be tied down to me.
Zola Taylor: No, I never said that, Frankie.
Frankie Lymon: Oh, yeah, that's what you said. Now, let me tell you something. You gonna always be tied down to me. Whether you like it ot not. We're like magnets...
[forcefully kisses Zola]
Zola Taylor: [pushes Frankie away] Mm-mmm. Don't do this to me, Frankie...
Frankie Lymon:
[...]

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Connections

References What's My Line? (1950)

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Soundtracks

I Want You Back
Performed by Mel B Featuring Missy Elliott

User Reviews

Why Do Three Fools Fall in Love

Other commentators seem to feel this is, or should have been, a movie about the life of Frankie Lyman. However, as the title indicates, it is really about three women who fell in love ... with a guy named Frankie Lyman. As the movie brings home fairly early, there is not much about Frankie to love. He is portrayed as a shallow, self-centered fool, with as little understanding of the music business as of the women he scams into being his wives.

Did Frankie have raw talent? Of course he did. Did Frankie do anything to develop this raw talent into an enduring musical career? No evidence of that. So much for Frankie. Larenz Tate plays him fairly well on stage, and rather flat off stage. We are not given a clue as to what the attraction may have been.

And, since two of the women were relatively unaware of his celebrity status when they were first taken with him, and the third had a celebrity status of her own, we expect the movie to answer the title question. The women do not entirely succeed in this, but they are terrifically watchable while they try.

Halle Berry is great as Zola Taylor, singer with the Platters. Viveca Fox is almost as good as the home girl who turns hooker to support Frankie, and Lela Rachon is perfect as the goodie-two-shoes last wife, a God-fearing and educated working woman.

The music scenes are good, and the courtroom scenes are outrageously unrealistic.

This would have been a better movie if they had not specifically based the story on Lyman, but only alluded to him. In this manner, the Hollywoodization of the story would have been less noticeable. Unfortunately, realizing that such a course would inevitably preclude using the Lyman hits, they chose to make this a triography of the wives, and allow them to play off Tate's weak Lyman persona.

All in all, a good couple of hours of enjoyment that is not too compelling. When it was over, we found ourselves asking, "Why DID these three fools fall in love?"