Comedy

Drama

The Fabulous Four

Southpaw Entertainment

Hantz Motion Pictures

Bronte Pictures

Peachtree Media Partners

Blue Rider Media Capital

Gramercy Park Media

United States of America

Australia

English

Susan Sarandon

Bette Midler

Megan Mullally

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Timothy V. Murphy

Bruce Greenwood

Kadan Well Bennett

Renika Williams

Abigail Dolan

David Goren

Brandee Evans

Michael Bolton

Sophie von Haselberg

Déjá Dee

Kaden Taylor

Avangeline Friedlander

Molly Hargrave

Nicholas Velez

Micah Engle

Lex Lauletta

John Crosby

Thao Le

Mike Bevins

Mitchell Patrick Greene

Pamela Hardy

Angela Lentz

Art Newkirk

Ally Shawver

Tamara Starnes

Zachary Vazquez

Joseph D. Webb

Ann Marie Allison

Richard Barton Lewis

Gabrielle Jerou

Jocelyn Moorhouse

Jenna Milly

Lauren Hantz

David Hirschfelder

Roberto Schaefer

Andrew Karpen

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

“The Fabulous Four” suffers from such an identity crisis that it feels like a tale of two movies. The first hour is goofy, lazy, and falls almost completely flat, while the second half redeems itself with a heartfelt sincerity. It’s a sweet story aimed at senior women, and they’re going to love it.

Lou (Susan Sarandon), Kitty (Sheryl Lee Ralph), and Alice (Megan Mullally) have been buddies for a long time. The gang reunites to travel to Key West to be bridesmaids in the surprise wedding of their best college girlfriend, Marilyn (Bette Midler). As with all reunions, some old wounds are opened. But after a few days of laughs, tears, and adventure, even stronger bonds are formed between the women.

The first half of the film is borderline dreadful, breathlessly treading in too-familiar waters. The script is dumbed-down and predictable, with a setup that makes it indistinguishable from many other AARP comedies The humor is hit or miss, leaning heavily on dopey slapstick and over-the-top scenarios and antics that don’t always land. This portion of the film feels incredibly lazy, almost as if director Jocelyn Moorhouse is simply going through the motions, blindfolded, while setting up the real story.

Once the film transitions to its more dramatic elements, it finds its footing. The second half is a heartfelt exploration of friendship, aging, and acceptance, and the themes of rekindling sisterhood and confronting the past are handled with a genuine touch, offering moments of true emotional resonance. This part of the film showcases what could have been if the entire movie maintained this level of quality.

The cast is terrific, and Sarandon stands out with a particularly strong performance. All of these women play well off each other, and they have a natural comedic chemistry. I’ve said it before and will continue to do so, but it is always refreshing to see roles for actors over 60 (particularly females), and all of these women make the most of it. Even better, everyone seems like they want to be here, which isn’t the case with similar films.

Other things to love range from the film’s casual and open acceptance of LGBTQ+ characters to the warm and comforting story of friendship that’s downright irresistible. With the good, of course, comes the bad, like the overt product placement for TikTok and an inexplicably stiff cameo from singer Michael Bolton that is one of the most bizarre appearances in a movie, ever. (He is awkward and unnatural in a way that screams “get me out of here!”).

When it comes to movies about older women, Hollywood still can’t seem to get the recipe just right. In that regard, I guess it’s progress that at least half of “The Fabulous Four” is done well.

By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

The Fabulous Four | Trailer |Starring Susan Sarandon. Bette Midler, Megan Mullally, Sheryl Lee Ralph

Featurette

:30 Cutdown

:15 Cutdown

Official Trailer

Best Movies

The Fabulous Four

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Susan Sarandon

Bette Midler

Megan Mullally

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Timothy V. Murphy

Bruce Greenwood

Kadan Well Bennett

Renika Williams

Abigail Dolan

David Goren

Box office

More Like This

Dancing on the Elephant

Traces of Grief

Phosphorescence

C.I.T.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Dreamlife of Angels

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

Princesses