Shocking Twist! ‘The Fabulous Four’ Test Friendships in Exotic Paradise – Full Review!

Senior Sisterhood in ‘The Fabulous Four’

The film,”The Fabulous Four,” features a group of four women, well into their twilight years, played by a renowned ensemble of adored and critically acclaimed actresses. They embark on a holiday where their enduring friendships and deep-seated habits face trials, leading to a satisfying journey of self-discovery. But, doesn’t this sound eerily familiar? Haven’t I critiqued this movie not too long ago? Perhaps a year ago? Or was it twice?

While analyzing “Summer Camp” in May, I found myself questioning the increasing prevalence of these much too recognizable films (think: four aging actresses, one holiday). The model must be profitable, but it isn’t just recognizable – it’s an exact replica. How do they continue to succeed with this?

“The Fabulous Four” is only unexpected in the sense that Diane Keaton isn’t part of the cast. In place of Keaton, we have Susan Sarandon playing Lou, a tense, career-oriented surgeon with a preference for pantsuits. Her old friends, the eccentric, saucy singer Alice (played by Megan Mullally) and cannabis cultivator Kitty (portrayed by Sheryl Lee Ralph), trick her into joining them on a trip. Their goal is to mend the long-standing feud between Lou and another friend, Marilyn (Bette Midler), whose friendship with Lou ended after she stole Lou’s boyfriend John and married him. As one can imagine, things haven’t been the same since – and rightly so, one might add.

Marilyn, now a widow, has relocated to Key West with plans to marry her new sweetheart. With the allure of six-toed Hemingway cats, Alice and Kitty convince Lou to join them on the Florida island, only to unexpectedly reveal that the trip is in honor of Marilyn’s upcoming nuptials. Cue the misunderstandings, accidents, and male exotic dancers.

The film is also packed with mushroom-induced trips, parasailing disasters, and a plethora of TikTok interruptions, which unnecessarily complicate what could have been a deeply emotional narrative about personal betrayal. Sarandon convincingly portrays Lou’s pain with tangible sadness (she is an Academy Award-winning actress, after all) but every time the movie begins to explore this central conflict, it hastily shifts to something frivolous, like Lou using a personal pleasure device as a makeshift slingshot on the street, or a string of incredibly annoying social media-style intermissions.

The film also features a group of younger, boisterous party-goers who attach themselves to the women during the flight. They serve as the wild, intoxicated contrast to the prim and proper Lou (a woman so uptight she never takes off her intricate cross-body purse, not even for the final dance routine) and surprisingly, they also end up being the only reliable moral voice in the entire film. They react with rightful horror to the story of Marilyn stealing Lou’s boyfriend – a reaction that none of Lou’s friends seem to share. “The Fabulous Four” never provides a good reason for Lou and Marilyn to mend their friendship, other than the fact that they used to be close. Sometimes friendships are left in the past for a reason.

Despite a perplexing subplot involving her deeply religious daughter and gay grandson, Ralph is a reliable supporting presence. Mullally’s Alice is primarily there as the merry, pot-loving party girl, devouring gummies and whisking every attractive waiter into a closet for a rendezvous. Midler is game for whatever antics her outrageous – and somewhat off-putting – character gets involved in. Bruce Greenwood and Timothy V. Murphy fill the roles of the age-appropriate eye candy.

Director Jocelyn Moorhouse (“The Dressmaker”) has an extensive repertoire, but she chose to film this in the same style as all other films of this genre: flat, vibrant, and colorful. Savannah, Ga., is used as a stand-in for Key West, with the island itself only featured in b-roll, so the film fails to capture the true spirit of the location.

There exists a potential version of this film, about this conflict, with the unexpected twists and turns that present themselves along the way, that could be captivating, and Sarandon’s excellent performance gives us a glimpse of what this could look like. Which is why it’s so disappointing when the film constantly diverts from anything substantive. This formidable quartet might be appealing, but the movie is excessively formulaic, and far from fabulous.

Walsh is a film critic for the Tribune News Service.