The Fabulous Four does indeed have a fabulous quartet of actresses, but unfortunately, there isn’t much else to this muddled comedy.
★★☆☆☆
Written by Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker), The Fabulous Four joins the rash of recent comedies celebrating groups of women having fun later in life. Think 2018’s Book Club or 2023’s 80 For Brady. While The Fabulous Four doesn’t have Jane Fonda or Lily Tomlin, it does have a wonderful mix of seasoned actresses to flesh out its core cast.
Once upon a time, Lou (Susan Sarandon) and Marilyn (Bette Midler) were best friends—but after Marilyn married Lou’s boyfriend, the two stopped speaking. When the recently widowed Marilyn decides to get married, the two remaining members of the quartet, Kitty (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Alice (Megan Mullally) concoct a plan to lure Lou into the bridal party. Hijinks ensue, courtesy of Kegel balls, parasailing, and weed gummies.
Each character has their own problems that dovetail nicely with themes of ageing. Marilyn is still grieving the loss of her husband, Lou is worried she’ll age out of her career, Kitty’s daughter has turned to a church that makes her judgemental of her mother’s choices, and Alice is… there. Unfortunately, the characters aren’t explored or deepened over the course of the story, leaving every member of the four feeling one-note. The main drive is the idea that Lou and Marilyn need to reconcile, but The Fabulous Four never really makes the case for why. Nor does it have anything particularly new to say about friendships, betrayals or grudges. There are some glimmers of depth—like when it becomes apparent Marilyn’s repeated insistence that she and her late husband did nothing wrong because they were ‘in love’ is less a conviction and more a deeply held denial. Ultimately, the film is unwilling to engage with any ideas outside of ‘holding grudges is bad’.
The film puts its characters through a series of wedding-based scenarios with a fun Floridian twist. Bridal shopping, parasailing, strip clubs, and Hemingway House—along with its polydactyl cats—are all features. Unfortunately, the script is incredibly disjointed, pinballing from beat to beat, not helped by the uninspired direction. Scenes often get muddled partway through, starting in one place and ending in another with neither the jokes nor the emotions landing along the way. Confrontations come out of nowhere. Jokes trail off. You’re never quite sure how a scene is going to end. Even when you can see the set-up coming from a mile away, it doesn’t necessarily come with a satisfactory payoff.
It’s such a shame because all four actresses have boatloads of charisma. After all, the appeal of these later-in-life comedies tends to be a group of seasoned actresses, known for much better things, gathering for a good time and some comedy antics. At times the actresses seem to be making scenes work through sheer force of will.
If there’s a weak link it’s Mullally’s Alice—although this is through no fault of the actress. She’s just not given anything to do other than be the ‘funny and promiscuous’ one. Towards the end, Alice just starts disappearing off-screen to bang guys. It’s a not-quite recurring, not-quite-funny gag, that consequently leaves Mullally out of frame for some of the film’s key final moments.
The Verdict
The four lead actresses anchor the piece through charisma alone. But unfortunately, not even these seasoned professionals can save The Fabulous Four.
Words by Louise Weaver
The Fabulous Four is available on digital platforms from 10 March.
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