If you’re in the mood to cry this weekend, stream The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat Movie on Hulu. Make sure you have a tissue box nearby.
This film adaptation, based on the 2013 best-selling novel of the same name, began streaming in the US today on Hulu. Directed by Tina Mabry, the screenplay was written by Mabry and Cee Marcellus, and stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan and Uzo Aduba as three best friends who call themselves “The Supremes” and endure life’s turbulent journey together. Throughout the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, these three friends meet again and again at their favorite restaurant, Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat Diner.
Starring Kyanna Simone, Tati Gabrielle and Abigail Achiri as younger versions of the Supremes, this film is a sweeping feel-good drama that feels like it came straight out of the ’90s. There’s something so familiar and comforting about stepping into this world. The characters have an authenticity that makes the film seem like real life. It does. The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat Movie based on a true story?
Is The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat Based on a true story?
The Supremes at Earl’s doing all-you-can-eat is not based on a true story, but on the Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat Book written by Edward Kesley Moore. Moore is originally from Indiana and is a professional cellist in addition to his work as an author. In an interview with Mosaic MagazineMoore said that while he was inspired by the women he grew up with in Indiana, his best-selling novel is not based on real people.
“I have none of the characters in The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat “I looked for specific women, but I was definitely inspired by the women in my life,” Moore said. “I was fortunate to hear great female storytellers growing up, and I’ve never forgotten how exciting it was to listen to them talk to each other.”
In a more recent interview with RogerEbert.com, Moore also said that while he didn’t often eat at all-you-can-eat restaurants when he was younger, Earl’s restaurant was based on a buffet that he went to with his family.
“My father was a preacher, and we always went to the same buffet after church,” Moore said. “You saw all these other people from our church and from other churches. It was just, I don’t know, the second act of church. Anyway, I was evoking that feeling of going to a place where you go to see all the people you know again. So, yes, I went to a place that was very similar to Earl’s.”
No doubt Moore was also inspired by his own background in classical music to make one of his main characters, Clarice (played by Aduba in the film), a classical pianist. Before publishing his first novel, Moore played as a cellist in orchestras in the Chicago area.
So there you have it! Even if The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is not based on a true story, but is imbued with the kind of authenticity that feel like a true story. That’s how you know it’s a great story.
