Why Do Fools Fall In Love (1998)
66%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: NA
This is a fun comedy with delightful musical numbers
Why Do Fools Fall in Love” is a movie that tries to tell the story of a pop star and his three wives, but it falls short in many ways. Critics have called it soulless, underwritten, and just plain dull. However, Larenz Tate’s performance as the boyish rascal with a helium voice is worth watching. The movie is entertaining in a campy way, but it’s not something you’ll remember for long. If you’re a fan of the music, you might enjoy it, but don’t expect too much.
Production Company(ies)
Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures,
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Stahl House, Case House 22 – 1635 Woods Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and some sexuality
Year of Release
1998
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 8, 1998 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2001
Genre(s)
Biography
Keyword(s)
starring Halle Berry, Vivica A Fox, Lela Rochon, Larenz Tate, Paul Mazursky, Little Richard, directed by Gregory Nava, written by Tina Andrews, biography, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Keith Phipps, Paul Tatara, Todd McCarthy, Liam Lacey, Peter Stack, Kenneth Turan, Barbara Shulgasser, Serena Donadoni, Emanuel Levy, Robin Clifford, R MPAA rating, doo-wop, Frankie Lymon, The Teenagers, Zola Taylor, Elizabeth Waters, Emira Eagle, Platters, Morris Levy, song royalties, substance abuse, addiction, tragedy, musical numbers, masks, court case, Diana Ross, Goodie Goodie, lip synching, entertainment
Worldwide gross: $12,461,773
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $22,869,111
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,668
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,493,905
US/Canada gross: $12,461,773
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $22,869,111
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,370
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,946,382
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $7,242,167
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,034
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Vivica A. Fox – Elizabeth ‘Mickey’ Waters
Lela Rochon – Emira Eagle
Larenz Tate – Frankie Lymon
Paul Mazursky – Morris Levy
Little Richard – Self
Director(s)
Gregory Nava
Writer(s)
Tina Andrews
Producer(s)
Stephen Nemeth, Paul Hall
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (58) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (28)
Why Do Fools Fall In Love never really conveys the essence of its subject.
May 23, 2019
Keith Phipps
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
“Why Do Fools Fall in Love” is a misfire in several ways, but the key problem is that the writers have a clunky, concrete Christmas tree, not something thematic that can be used to devise scenes of various shades and colors.
May 23, 2019
Paul Tatara
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
Too ill defined to emerge from the pack of box office also-rans.
June 18, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
A celebration of pop fantasies, a boyish rascal with a helium voice, and three pretty fools who fell in love with him.
April 25, 2003 | Rating: 2.5/4
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
A fresh, enlightening example of how to take a tragic American show-business story and make it funny, warm and terrifically entertaining.
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 4/4
Peter Stack
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Though Nava’s soapy directing style makes Fools watchable enough in a campy way, the film’s unsophisticated nature undermines its better qualities.
February 14, 2001 | Rating: 2/5
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Drug use brings down teen idol; sex, violence, cursing.
August 27, 2019 | Rating: 2/5
Barbara Shulgasser
Common Sense Media
Why Do Fools Fall in Love, in its own glossy, entertaining way, is a deeper examination of how an individual can use numerous masks to conceal himself, even from the ones he loves.
May 23, 2019
Serena Donadoni
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
This biopic is soulless, underwritten, over-acted and, worse, just plain dull.
December 6, 2005 | Rating: 0.5/5
Dave McCoy
Film Threat
July 19, 2005 | Rating: 2/5
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Larenz Tate is terrific recreating the excitement of Frankie’s stage presence.
April 9, 2005 | Rating: B
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
Worth it for the music — but only barely.
April 3, 2005 | Rating: 2/5
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Larenz Tate’s performance as Frankie Lymon is described as “terrific” and “recreating the excitement of Frankie’s stage presence.”
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