Bette Midler. Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally are the fabulous four actresses cast as best friends in THE FABULOUS FOUR, the latest comedy entry in the recent string of gal pal comedies featuring older, big-name actresses and silly antics. I might call them “broad comedies” but then someone might slap me (insert rim shot). While some of those comedies have been a bit forced, leaning heavily on too-familiar jokes, THE FABULOUS FOUR is fun, a lighter and more relaxed version, and less fully-packed with far-fetched comic bits. This femme-centric comedy about aging, friendship and new beginnings is femme-helmed too, with Australian writer/director Jocelyn Moorhouse at the helm and scriptwriters Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly backing her up.
In THE FABULOUS FOUR, four women who have been friends for decades, ever since college, gather in beautiful Key West for the second wedding of one of them. Bette Midler plays the bride, Marilyn, recently widowed and a recent transplant to quirky Key West, but taking the plunge back into the sea of matrimony after a whirlwind romance with a local widower (Bruce Greenwood).
Although the four have stayed in touch, there has been a long-standing rift between Marilyn and her one-time best friend Lou (Susan Sarandon). In college, Marilyn was fun-loving and unfocused, who needed steady, studious pre-med student Lou to keep her on track to graduation. All four were roommates in New York after college, as they launched their careers and Lou went to medical school. But the two best friends had a falling out after Marilyn stole Lou’s boyfriend, and then married him.
Lou has never forgiven Marilyn but Marilyn still misses her old bestie and would love to have her at the wedding. So, of course, the other two, Kitty (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Alice (Megan Mullally) decide to trick Lou into coming to Key West – a ruse that works like catnip for book-loving, cat-loving Lou.
Yeah, pretty far-fetched, but the film does have a lot of fun with the Key West locale, and all things Ernest Hemingway, with plenty of those six-toed cats. As it happens, all these women have done well for themselves financially, so there is no limit to the fun they can have in pricey Key West. Marilyn lives in large home with a lovely back garden in expensive Key West, where she recently moved. Lou is a successful cardiac surgeon, Alice is a successful recording artist and music producer (with a taste for younger guys) and Kitty has a prosperous business growing cannabis and making cannabis-infused gummies, much to the disapproval of her very-religious daughter. With money no object, these gals have a great time. I’d say a high time but, again, someone might smack me.
Like all of this recent spate of comedies with major older female stars, there are plenty of antics and silliness, with high hopes that hilarity ensues. This one is less breathless than some of them, and the antics are less over-the-top and overly-familiar (mostly), which helps make the whole comedy funnier, more easy-going, and enjoyable.
There is also great chemistry between the women in this cast, especially between Susan Sarandon and Bette Midler, who are the major focus of the plot. But all of them contribute to the comedy, with Sheryl Lee Ralph a standout as a kind of brains of the outfit. Hemingway and literature get a good shout-outs too, in among the mojitos, daiquiris, beaches and hang-gliding. There are serious moments, of course, as the characters deal with a number of matters around aging, friendship, family and being open to new adventures and new beginnings. And an added bonus are two of Sarandon’s own cats, judging by the credits.
The bottom line is that THE FABULOUS FOUR is fun, a light summer treat with enjoyable performances from a truly fabulous cast in one gorgeous locale.
THE FABULOUS FOUR opens Friday, July 26, in theaters.
RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars
