The Fabulous Four

Last updated

The Fabulous Four
The Fabulous Four.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse
Written by
  • Ann Marie Allison
  • Jenna Milly
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Roberto Schaefer
Edited byGabriella Muir
Music by David Hirschfelder
Production
company
Southpaw Entertainment
Distributed by Bleecker Street
Release date
  • July 26, 2024 (2024-07-26)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3.2 million [1] [2]

The Fabulous Four is a 2024 American comedy film directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse and written by Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly. It stars Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, Megan Mullally, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Bruce Greenwood, Timothy V. Murphy, and Michael Bolton.

Contents

It was released in the United States by Bleecker Street on July 26, 2024.

Plot

Aging friends Kitty and Alice receive invitations to their lifelong friend Marilyn’s wedding. Hoping to reunite their gang, Kitty and Alice plan to invite old friend Lou, who had a dramatic falling-out with Marilyn after she stole her boyfriend John and eloped with him. Kitty and Alice lure Lou to the wedding in Key West, Florida by telling her she has won a raffle from the Hemingway House to win a polydactyl cat.

Kitty, Alice and Lou arrive in Key West and meet Marilyn at her house. Furious, Lou plans to leave the house, especially after finding out Kitty and Alice lied about the cat raffle. Kitty convinces her to stay, but she is still agitated by the presence of Marilyn and the constant reminders of her deceased ex-husband.

While trying on dresses, Lou becomes agitated once more when Marilyn mentions her eloping with John. Lou leaves the shop and meets a man on the street called Ted. After stopping an attempted theft of Ted’s bike, Lou is excited at the prospect of having met a man.

The next day, Marilyn takes the others on a boat to go parasailing. Alice gives a seasick Lou cannabis-infused chocolate to calm her down. While the others partake in the parasailing, Lou bonds with Ernie, the ship’s captain, who offers her cannabis-infused gummies. Now under the influence, Lou accidentally cuts the tow rope connecting the others to the boat. When they land on the beach, Marilyn laughs at Lou for being high, causing her to retaliate and berate the others for lying to her, as well as Marilyn’s TikTok obsession.

Marilyn, Kitty, and Alice throw a bachelorette party at a strip club. Kitty is surprised to see her grandson Nathan is the stripper, having been kicked out by his mother for being gay. The next day, Marilyn takes the girls to Hemingway House to meet her fiance Bradley. Lou is shocked when she finds out Bradley is actually Ted.

On the day of the wedding, Lou and Marilyn fight, causing Marilyn to fire Lou as her bridesmaid. Marilyn has a mental breakdown and apologises to Lou. At the wedding, Marilyn and Bradley realise they both rushed into the marriage, and decide to stay friends. Lou is persuaded by Ernie to move to Key West.

Cast

Production

In May 2022, it was announced that Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, and Megan Mullally had joined the cast of the film, with Jocelyn Moorhouse directing from a screenplay she wrote alongside Jenna Milly and Ann Marie Allison. [3] In October 2022, Sissy Spacek joined the cast of the film, with Bleecker Street acquiring distribution rights to the film. [4] In October 2023, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Bruce Greenwood, and Timothy V. Murphy joined the cast of the film, with Ralph replacing Spacek, who exited due to scheduling conflicts. [5]

Principal photography began in September 2023 in Savannah, Georgia, securing a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement. [6] [7]

Reception

Box office

The film made $1 million in its opening weekend from 1,045 theaters, placing eighth at the box office. [8]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 26% of 50 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.9/10.The website's consensus reads: "These four ladies are indeed fabulous, but they deserve a much more inspired script." [9] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [10]

Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com gave the film one and a half out of four stars and wrote, "The stars do their best to bring warmth and charisma with criminally under-written characters engaging in silly antics. There are lovely moments when they sing, including a duet with Michael Bolton(!). It just makes us wish it was a concert film. Or, as Gene Siskel used to say, we would be better off watching a film of the four actresses sitting around, talking about their lives." [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Sarandon</span> American actor (born 1946)

Susan Abigail Sarandon is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and nine Golden Globe Awards. In 2002, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

<i>Atlantic City</i> (1980 film) 1980 romantic crime film directed by Louis Malle

Atlantic City is a 1980 romantic crime film directed by Louis Malle from a screenplay by John Guare. It stars Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon in the leading roles, with a supporting cast featuring Kate Reid, Michel Piccoli, Robert Joy, Hollis McLaren, and Al Waxman. A co-production between French and Canadian companies filmed in late 1979, it was released in France and Germany in September 1980 and in the United States later that year by Paramount Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bette Midler</span> American actress and singer (born 1945)

Bette Midler is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Kennedy Center Honor, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Mullally</span> American actress (born 1958)

Megan Mullally is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning twice, in 2000 and 2006. She also received nominations for numerous other accolades for her portrayal, including seven consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, winning three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003, as well as receiving four Golden Globe Award nominations.

Joanna Gleason is a Canadian-American actress and singer. She is a Tony Award–winning musical theatre actress and has also had a number of notable film and TV roles. She is known for originating the role of the Baker's Wife in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She is also known for her film work in Mike Nichols' Heartburn (1986), Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), and Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997). She has had television roles in shows such as ER, Friends, The West Wing, The Good Wife and The Affair.

<i>Cats & Dogs</i> 2001 spy-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman

Cats & Dogs is a 2001 spy-comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman and written by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. It stars Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins and Alexander Pollock, with the voices of Tobey Maguire, Alec Baldwin, Sean Hayes, Susan Sarandon, Charlton Heston, Jon Lovitz, Joe Pantoliano and Michael Clarke Duncan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenifer Lewis</span> American actress (born 1957)

Jenifer Jeanette Lewis is an American actress. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in films Beaches (1988) and Sister Act (1992). Lewis is known for playing roles of mothers in the films What's Love Got to Do With It (1993), Poetic Justice (1993), The Preacher's Wife (1996), The Brothers (2001), The Cookout (2004), Think Like a Man (2012) and in the sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014), Baggage Claim (2013) and The Wedding Ringer (2015), as well as in The Temptations miniseries (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelli Garner</span> American actress (born 1984)

Kelli Brianne Garner is an American actress who has appeared in a variety of independent and mainstream films, television, and theater.

<i>Hocus Pocus</i> (1993 film) 1993 film by Kenny Ortega

Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Kenny Ortega from a screenplay by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, and a story by David Kirschner and Garris. It follows a villainous comedic trio of witches who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Murphy</span> American actress

Donna Murphy is an American actress, best known for her work in musical theater. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she has twice won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical: for her role as Fosca in Passion (1994–1995) and as Anna Leonowens in The King and I (1996–1997). She was also nominated for her roles as Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town (2003), Lotte Lenya in LoveMusik (2007), and Bubbie/Raisel in The People in the Picture (2011).

<i>The First Wives Club</i> 1996 film by Hugh Wilson

The First Wives Club is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. The film stars Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton as three divorcées who seek retribution on their ex-husbands for having left them for younger women. The supporting cast comprises Stockard Channing as Cynthia; Dan Hedaya, Victor Garber, and Stephen Collins as the three leads' ex-husbands; and Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Berkley, and Marcia Gay Harden as their respective lovers. Supporting roles are played by Maggie Smith, Bronson Pinchot, Rob Reiner, Eileen Heckart, Philip Bosco, and Timothy Olyphant in his feature film debut; cameo appearances include Gloria Steinem, Ed Koch, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Ivana Trump.

"Wind Beneath My Wings" is a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley.

<i>Bette</i> (TV series) American sitcom television series

Bette is an American sitcom television series that premiered on October 11, 2000, on the CBS network. The show was the debut of Bette Midler in a lead TV series role. Sixteen episodes were aired on CBS, with its final telecast on March 7, 2001. Eighteen episodes in total were produced, with the final two only broadcast on HDTV simulcasting and in foreign markets. Bette was created by Jeffrey Lane, with Midler serving as one of the executive producers.

<i>That Old Feeling</i> (film) 1997 American film

That Old Feeling is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Carl Reiner, his final film as director before his death in 2020. It stars Bette Midler and Dennis Farina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jocelyn Moorhouse</span> Australian film director

Jocelyn Denise Moorhouse is an Australian screenwriter and film director. She is best known for directing films Proof, How to Make an American Quilt, A Thousand Acres and The Dressmaker.

<i>Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore</i> 2010 film by Brad Peyton

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is a 2010 spy comedy film directed by Brad Peyton in his directorial debut, produced by Andrew Lazar, Polly Johnsen, Greg Michael and Brent O'Connor and written by Ron J. Friedman and Steve Bencich based on the characters by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. The film stars Chris O'Donnell, Jack McBrayer, Fred Armisen and Paul Rodriguez with an ensemble voice cast of James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Katt Williams, Bette Midler, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sean Hayes, Joe Pantoliano and Michael Clarke Duncan reprising their roles from previous first film. The film is a stand-alone sequel to the 2001 film Cats & Dogs, with more emphasis on its animal characters than the previous film, and was released on July 30, 2010, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received mostly negative reviews from film critics and grossed $112.5 million on an $85 million budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards</span>

The Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards—first presented in 1977 by the now–Los Angeles chapter of the Women in Film organization—were presented to honor women in communications and media. The awards include the Crystal Award, the Lucy Award, the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award, the MaxMara Face of the Future Award, and the Kodak Vision Award.

<i>Feud</i> (TV series) American anthology television series

Feud is an American anthology drama television series created by Ryan Murphy, Jaffe Cohen, and Michael Zam, which premiered on FX on March 5, 2017. Conceived as an anthology series, Feud's first season, Bette and Joan, chronicles the well-documented rivalry between Hollywood actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis during and after the production of their psychological horror thriller film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon star as Crawford and Davis, respectively. Judy Davis, Jackie Hoffman, Alfred Molina, Stanley Tucci, and Alison Wright feature in supporting roles. Academy Award–winning actresses Catherine Zeta-Jones and Kathy Bates also appear. Critically acclaimed, with major praise for Lange and Sarandon's performances, the first season garnered several accolades. It received 18 nominations at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards and won two, including Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup (Non-Prosthetic). Bette and Joan also received six Critics' Choice Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Television Critics Association Awards nominations.

<i>Hocus Pocus 2</i> 2022 film by Anne Fletcher

Hocus Pocus 2 is a 2022 American fantasy comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Jen D'Angelo and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1993 film Hocus Pocus and the second installment in the Hocus Pocus franchise. The film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones reprising their roles. Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, and Hannah Waddingham join the cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decal (company)</span> American film distribution company

Decal Releasing, LLC, doing business as Decal, is an American independent film distribution company owned by Neon and Bleecker Street. It was launched in February 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "The Fabulous Four". The Numbers. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Fabulous Four". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  3. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (May 11, 2022). "Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler & Megan Mullally To Star In Wedding Comedy 'The Fabulous Four' — Cannes Market Hot Pic". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (October 31, 2022). "'The Fabulous Four,' a Feel-Good Comedy Starring Susan Sarandon and Bette Midler, Sells to Bleecker Street". Variety . Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ Grobar, Matt (October 25, 2023). "Sheryl Lee Ralph Rounds Out 'The Fabulous Four' As Additional Cast Joins Bleecker Street Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ Curley, Molly (September 25, 2023). "'The Fabulous Four' now filming in Savannah". WSAV-TV . Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ "How to Get Cast in 'The Fabulous Four' Starring Susan Sarandon". Project Casting. September 29, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 30". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  9. ↑ "The Fabulous Four". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  10. ↑ "The Fabulous Four". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  11. ↑ Minow, Nell (July 26, 2024). "The Fabulous Four". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved July 31, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.