The Fabulous Four – If You Are Under 60 You May Not Get It.
“The Fabulous Four” is about four friends who met each other during various stages of their lives. Marilyn (Bette Midler) and Lou (Susan Sarandon) have been friends the longest. When they met up with Alice (Megan Mullally) and Kitty (Sheryl Lee Ralph) in college it became a lifelong friendship that lasted until Marilyn “stole” and married Lou’s boyfriend from her. They haven’t spoken since.
Years have passed and Marilyn is a widow of six months, Lou is a Hemingway, cat-loving heart surgeon, Alice is a wild successful singer, and Kitty is a pot-growing businesswoman.
After being a widow for 6 months, Marilyn has gotten engaged to a man she met at the DMV in Key West and has asked Kitty and Alice to be her bridesmaids. Kitty and Alice decide it is time for Marilyn and Lou to bury the hatchet and rekindle their friendship. They trick Lou into coming to Key West by telling her she won one of Hemingway’s 6 toed cats in a raffle they entered her into.
Of course, the rest is very predictable, silly, and appears to mindless. It may appear that way to an audience under the age of 60, however, to those of us who have crossed the bearer into “Seasoned Citizen” it had a few messages that were quite obvious to some of us.
As I sat in the theater with other mostly retired ladies, and close friends that I have known for over 25 years I found we all laughed at the same things, “Oh No” in the same places, and sighed at the points that touched close to home.
Lou is being faced with whether is she too old to do her job as a new surgeon comes on board. Alice is trying to hold on to her youth by staying high and seducing young men. Kitty’s daughter, who has joined an ultra-conservative church thinks Kitty is going to hell for growing cannabis. Marilyn has never had the real self-confidence in herself that she always needed to be the center of attention. And last but not least, as a senior citizen it is too late to find love.
It also brings out that life is short and should be enjoyed to the fullest and true friendship is worth fighting for.
Yes, these big stars are in such a crazy, out-there film when they could have done something more serious, but we sure had a great time at the theater watching and understanding what this group of friends was going through.
Gather up your friends and go have a good laugh!
I give “The Fabulous Four” 3 and ½ winks of the EYE!
Until next time keep your EYE to the sky!