OK, music biopic fans, just read the title after the first two words. That should give you a clue that this isn’t the rags-to-riches story of the talented ’60s Motown titan trio. In fact, this story takes place quite a ways from Detroit, deep down in North Carolina. And yes, many of the flashbacks take place in the 1960s, but the title refers to a nickname given to three childhood friends. And if you’re guessing the plot revolves around their “ups and downs,” romances and challenges, then you may know the novel this movie is based on… or you got the gist of it from the poster. So get the tissues ready to wipe away those THE SUPREMES AT EARL’S ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT-inspired tears.
After a brief time lapse, the film focuses on three middle-aged women strolling toward the aforementioned restaurant. Then follows a thrilling flashback to the birth of the three. Then we jump forward to 1968, when free-spirited Odette (Kyanna Simone) cheers on her best friend Clarice (Abigail Achiri) at her piano recital. Afterward, at Odette’s house, the two discuss Clarice’s plans to become a successful recording artist in NYC after graduating high school. But first, they want to meet their suitors at the town’s hangout, Earl’s. Not so fast, because Odette’s mom insists they deliver a cooked chicken to the house of her classmate Barbara Jean (Tati Gabrielle), whose mother just died. The girls protest, but agree to a quick “side trip.” At Barbara Jean’s run-down cabin, the girls are alerted by her “pushy” stepfather and kidnap her. When the owner, “Big Earl,” sees the trio at the entrance to his establishment, he calls them “The Supremes.” After telling him about BJ’s dire situation, Earl offers him the bedroom of his absent daughter (she’s in college). All this happens after Clarice meets her boyfriend Richmond (Xavier Mills), who has a “wandering eye” on her, and his buddy and future suitor for Odette, the stoic, almost taciturn James (Dijon Means). Over the next few years, Odette and Clarice settle down with Richmond and James, while Barbara Jean is courted by the older Lester (Cleveland Berto), while she begins a secret romance with the white busboy at Earl’s, Ray aka “Chick” (Ryan Paynter). The film cuts to the present day in 1998, when Clarise (Uzo Aduba) deals with her husband Richmond’s (Russell Hornsby) affairs, Barbara Jean (Sanaa Lathan) is drifting back into alcoholism due to the tragic loss of her husband Lester (Vondie Curtis-Hall), and the otherwise strong Odette (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) is trying to keep a serious health crisis a secret from her friends and her husband James (Mekhi Phifer), a police officer. Can this lifelong friendship survive this very difficult time, or will they fall apart like their musical namesake?
The film benefits greatly from its strong ensemble cast. Or should I say double cast, as we have strong performances from both teenage and middle-aged versions of the characters? It becomes clear early on that the main focus of the story (she’s the narrator) is Odette, played by the compelling Ellis-Taylor (so great in KING RICHARD and the underrated ORIGIN). This matriarch is truly a force of nature not to be messed with, as Ellis-Taylor owns the role, showing both her courage and compassion and allowing her vulnerability in the final act as she must deal with a frightening diagnosis. And these qualities are mirrored by Simone, whether she’s railing against her potential boyfriend James (and his silence) or standing up to BJ’s abusive stepfather (a very tense moment). Aduba also creates the most complex character arc, as she goes from denial (about her husband’s infidelity) to finding the strength to face her fears head-on. Much of this is set up very well by the buttoned-up Achirir. Lathan, as Barbara Jean, also has to save herself from the Egyptian river when she plunges into the bottle, but struggles to admit her addiction. She’s in a near-constant daze, more like a drugged hangover, until her friends send her a much-needed “wake-up call.” Equally powerful is the work of Gabrielle, who goes from an unassuming “doormat” to a confident woman facing so many difficult choices and dodging dangers in a romance that could prove fatal. It helps that she has sizzling chemistry with the smoldering Paynter as that “forbidden fruit.” And while they don’t get as much screen time, the other men are great too, although Curtis-Hall’s time is very brief and Hornsby doesn’t get the chance to reveal the inner motivations of his “serial cheater.” Plus, it’s great to see Julian McMahon in another 1998 version of a key character.
Director Tina Mabry keeps the pace up despite the many “bumps in the road” with her screenplay adaptation of Edward Kelsey Moore’s book, which she co-wrote with Gina Prince-Bythewood. The various disasters and upheavals come so fast and furious that the film feels like a miniseries crammed into its nearly two-hour runtime. It tries to be a cross between FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, WAITING TO EXHALE, and any number of older girl group “sisterhood is power” movies (just as THE FABULOUS FOUR is disappearing from multiplexes). The subplots need a little breathing room. It tries to “lighten the mood” by breaking up the action for heavy-handed comedy interludes involving snooty classmate Veronica (just like the one from Riverdale) and Earl’s self-centered, cartoonish second wife (and widow), Minnie, who even appears in the mid-credits scene. The eras are well recreated in terms of fashion and settings (furniture and cars), though the racial tensions of ’68 are reduced to a cliched, truck-driving hillbilly who avoids brutal epitaphs. That’s a shame, because as I mentioned, as good as the cast is, they can’t work miracles with several over-the-top and maudlin sequences. Perhaps the streaming option works best for the sometimes soap-operatic “standard cable TV” theatrics that run through THE SUPREMES AT EARL’S ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT.
2.5 out of 4
THE SUPREMES AT EARL’S ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT will stream exclusively on Hulu starting Friday, August 23, 2024
