''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' is a 1998 American

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

film directed by Gregory Nava. Released by

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of li ...

, the film is a biographical film of R&B/

Rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

singer Frankie Lymon, lead singer of the pioneering rock and roll group

Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers The Teenagers are an American music group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead ...

for one year. Moreover, the film highlights the three women in his life, each of whom claim to have married Lymon and lay claim to his estate. Written by Tina Andrews, ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' stars

Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry (; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Mi ...

, Vivica A. Fox, Lela Rochon, and Larenz Tate, who portrays Lymon.

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

also appears in the film as himself. One of the singles from the soundtrack, "

I Want You Back "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 6, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...

" by Melanie Brown featuring

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

, peaked at number one in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Plot

Lymon was 13 years old when the teenage group

erupted from radios and jukeboxes with their 1956 hit " Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" and appeared in the movie ''Rock, Rock, Rock'' (1956). After ''Mr. Rock and Roll'' (1957), Lymon started a solo singing career, but it all fell apart. Lymon's career was over by the time he was 18 years old, and he died of a heroin overdose seven years later. Jumping from the 1950s to the 1960s, the film traces the rise and fall of Lymon ( Larenz Tate) in a series of flashbacks as courtroom claims on Lymon's royalties are outlined by three women: Zola Taylor (

) of the R&B group

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

; Elizabeth Waters ( Vivica A. Fox), a petty thief from Philadelphia; and schoolteacher Emira Eagle ( Lela Rochon). Ending credits show the real Frankie Lymon singing his song "Goody Goody".

also makes a courtroom appearance, while Miguel A. Nunez Jr. portrays Little Richard in scenes set in the 1950s. The film ends with Emira winning Frankie's estate.

Cast

as Zola Taylor * Vivica A. Fox as Elizabeth "Mickey" Waters * Lela Rochon as Emira Eagle * Larenz Tate as Frankie Lymon *

Paul Mazursky Irwin Lawrence "Paul" Mazursky (April 25, 1930 – June 30, 2014) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Known for his dramatic comedies that often dealt with modern social issues, he was nominated for five Academy Awards: three ...

as Morris Levy * Pamela Reed as Judge Lambrey *

Alexis Cruz Alexis Cruz (born September 29, 1974) is an American actor, known for his performances as Rafael in '' Touched by an Angel'' and as Skaara in ''Stargate'' and ''Stargate SG-1''. Biography Cruz was born in The Bronx of Puerto Rican descent. His m ...

as Herman Santiago * Jon Huertas as Joe Negroni * David Barry Gray as Peter Markowitz * Miguel A. Nunez Jr. as Young Little Richard * Clifton Powell as Lawrence Roberts *

Lane Smith Walter Lane Smith III (April 29, 1936 – June 13, 2005) was an American actor. His well-known roles included newspaper editor Perry White in the ABC series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', Walter Warner in ''Son in Law'', coll ...

as Ezra Grahme * Ben Vereen as Richard Barrett * Paula Jai Parker as Paula King *

Marcello Thedford Marcello Thedford is an American film actor, television actor and power lifter known for his roles as Kelvin "Buffalo" James on the ESPN dramatic series ''Playmakers'', Semi in '' Employee of the Month'', and in eight episodes of '' ER'' as Leon, ...

as Drug Dealer * Norris Young as Jimmy *

as Himself *

Aries Spears Aries Spears (born April 3, 1975) is an American stand-up comedian and actor from New Jersey. Spears was a regular on Fox's sketch comedy series ''MADtv'', appearing in 198 episodes, making him the second longest-serving cast member on the sho ...

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...

J. August Richards Jaime Augusto Richards III (born August 28, 1973), commonly known as J. August Richards, is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Charles Gunn on The WB television series ''Angel'' and Mike Peterson on ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ...

as Sherman *

Shirley Caesar Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American gospel singer whose career has spanned seven decades. She has won 11 Grammys in addition to Dove Awards and Stellar Awards; Caesar is k ...

as minister/singer at funeral

Background

The screenplay of the film, written by actress-turned-screenwriter Tina Andrews, took fifteen years to be produced. Director Gregory Nava used most of the technical staff from his prior film ''

Selena Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...

.''

Filming locations

Filming locations include:

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

;

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

; and

Starke, Florida Starke is a city in and the county seat of Bradford County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,796 at the 2020 census. The origin of the city's name is disputed. Starke may have been named in honor of local landowner George W. Cole's ...

Distribution

The film was first presented at th
Urbanworld Film Festival
New York on August 8, 1998. The film opened in wide release on August 28, 1998 (1,369 theaters) and sales the opening weekend were $3,946,382. ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' ran for 8 weeks domestically (56 days) and eventually grossed $12,506,676 in the United States. At its widest release the film was shown in 1,377 screens.

Reception

Critical response

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 53% based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 5.91/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "This is a fun comedy with delightful musical numbers."

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

, film critic for the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicago ...

'', was disappointed in the screenplay and ultimately Nava's direction of the film, and wrote, "There are several angles this material might have been approached from, and director Gregory Nava tries several without hitting on one that works. By the end of the film, we're not even left with anyone to root for; we realize with a little astonishment, waiting for the court verdict, that we don't care who wins." Yet, film critic Peter Stack liked the film and believes director Nava smartly juggles a lot of elements in the picture. He wrote, "''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' is a fresh, enlightening example of how to take a tragic American show-business story and make it funny, warm and terrifically entertaining... tbrims with joyful spirit and raucous comedy... nd the filmdeftly juggles a surprising number of elements, but they all work."

Accolades

Wins *

ALMA Award The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and accurate portrayals of Latino ...

: Outstanding Latino Director of a Feature Film, Gregory Nava, 1999. *

American Black Film Festival The American Black Film Festival (originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival) is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film—works by Black members of the film industry. It is held to recognize achievements of fi ...

: Black Film Award; Best Actor, Larenz Tate, 1999. Nominations * ALMA Awards: Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film in a Crossover Role, Miguel A. Núñez Jr.; Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Feature Film, Alexis Cruz, 1999. * American Black Film Festival: Black Film Award; Best Screenplay, Tina Andrews; Best Soundtrack, 1999.

Soundtrack

Two soundtrack albums were released for ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' by

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

. ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love: Original Versions from the Movie'', released on September 8, 1998 by

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

, contained fourteen songs, including five of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' original recordings. Also included are original hits by

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFad ...

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

and others. ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture'' was released on the same day as ''Original Versions from the Movie'', but on Warner's

East West Records East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in London, England. History Upon its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had one hit with ...

label in conjunction with

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

and

The Goldmind Inc. The Goldmind, Inc. is an American record label founded in 1997 by rapper Missy Elliott. Elliott was once distributed through Elektra Entertainment Group, and more recently by Atlantic Records before starting her own record label. The Goldmind, ...

Save for one vintage Little Richard song, it features new hip-hop and

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhy ...

recordings practically unrelated to the actual film (one track, Gina Thompson's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", interpolates the Teenagers' hit and is featured over the film's end credits). Executive produced by

and primarily produced by her and

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

, this soundtrack album features songs by artists such as Elliott,

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single ...

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

, Coko of SWV and, making her solo debut,

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...

member

Melanie B Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...

. It peaked at 55 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and 15 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

and spawned the singles "

" by Melanie Brown featuring

(which peaked at number-one on the

), En Vogue's "

No Fool No More "No Fool, No More" is a song by American female group En Vogue. It was written by Diane Warren and recorded for the soundtrack to the romantic drama film '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1998), while production was helmed by Big Baby and Sugar Mik ...

" (which peaked at 57 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100), and Destiny's Child's " Get on the Bus". Singer

Lil' Mo Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, television and radio personality. She is best known for her 2001 single " Superwoman Pt. II", featuring then-unknown rapper ...

also made her debut with the single and music video for " Five Minutes". Former Bad Boy recording artist Mase was slated to record with

and

for the soundtrack, but his contribution never made the final cut.

Track listing

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Gregory Nava 1998 films 1998 romantic drama films 1990s legal films African-American drama films American biographical drama films American legal drama films American rock music films American romantic drama films American romantic musical films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Gregory Nava Films scored by Stephen James Taylor Films set in 1956 Films set in the 1960s Films set in the 1980s Films shot in Jacksonville, Florida Musical films based on actual events Romantic period films Warner Bros. films Rhino Films films 1990s American films