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

biographical drama A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

film directed by

Gregory Nava Gregory James Nava (born April 10, 1949) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Personal life Nava was born in San Diego, of Mexican and Basque heritage. Nava graduated from St. Augustine High School in San Diego and attended ...

. Released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, it is based on the true story of Frankie Lymon, the lead singer of the pioneering rock and roll group

The Teenagers The Teenagers were 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 of 1986 and also placing six ...

Vivica A. Fox Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983) and played roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of Our Lives'' (1988) and ''Generations (American TV s ...

Lela Rochon Lela Rochon Fuqua (born Lela Rochon Staples; April 17, 1964) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Robin Stokes in the 1995 romantic drama film ''Waiting to Exhale''. Rochon also had roles in the films ''Harlem Nights' ...

, and

Larenz Tate Larenz Tate (born September 8, 1975) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as O-Dog in ''Menace II Society'', Anthony Curtis in ''Dead Presidents'', and as Councilman Rashad Tate in '' Power''. Tate's other fi ...

, who portrays Lymon.

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

also appears in the film as himself. "

I Want You Back "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 7, 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 ...

", one of the singles from the soundtrack, by Melanie Brown featuring

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

, peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart.

Plot

Lymon was age 13 when the teenage group Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers 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 success quickly tapered off. Lymon's career was essentially over by the time he was age 18, and he died of a heroin overdose seven years later. Jumping between the 1950s-1960s and the 1980s, the film traces the rise and fall of Lymon (

) in a series of flashbacks as courtroom claims on Lymon's royalties are outlined by three women:

Zola Taylor Zoletta Lynn Taylor (March 17, 1938 – April 30, 2007) was an American singer. She was the original female member of The Platters from 1954 to 1962, when the group produced most of their popular singles. Litigation Zola Taylor was a member o ...

(

) of the R&B vocal group

The Platters The Platters are 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 act ...

; Elizabeth Waters (

), a petty thief from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

; and Emira Eagle (

), a schoolteacher from Augusta, GA. The end credits show archival footage of the real Frankie Lymon performing his 1958 solo single " Goody Goody".

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

Cast

as Elizabeth "Mickey" Waters *

as Emira Eagle *

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 for '' ...

Morris Levy Morris Levy (born Moishe Levy; August 27, 1927 – May 21, 1990) was an American entrepreneur in the fields of jazz clubs, music publishing, and the independent record industry. Levy was cofounder and owner of Roulette Records, founding partner ...

* 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 Clifton Powell (born March 16, 1956) is an American actor who primarily plays supporting roles in films, such as in '' Ray'' (2004), for which he received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture nomination. Ca ...

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'', collaborator entrepreneur Nathan Bat ...

as Ezra Grahme *

Ben Vereen Benjamin Augustus Vereen (né Middleton; October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. He gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received ...

as Richard Barrett *

Paula Jai Parker Paula Jai Parker (born August 19, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in the films ''Friday'' (1995), '' Sprung'' (1997), '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1998), ''Phone Booth'' (2002), ''Hustle & Flow'' (2005), ...

as Paula King * Marcello Thedford as Drug Dealer * Norris Young as Jimmy *

as himself * Aries Spears as

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 movemen ...

* J. August Richards as Sherman *

Shirley Caesar Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (Birth name, née Caesar; born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American Gospel music, gospel singer. Her career began in 1951, when she signed to Federal Records at the age of 12. Thro ...

as minister/singer at funeral

Background

The screenplay of the film, written by actress-turned-screenwriter Tina Andrews, took 15 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) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most cel ...

.''

Filming locations

Filming locations include

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

;

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

; 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 United States census, 2020 census. The origin of the city's name is disputed. Starke may have been named in honor of local la ...

Distribution

The film was first presented at the Urbanworld Film Festival on August 8, 1998. The film opened in wide release on August 28, 1998 (1,369 theaters), and sales on the opening weekend were $3,946,382. ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' ran for eight weeks 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

Roger Ebert 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." 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 (ABFF), originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival, is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film and works by black members of the film industry. The festival is held annually in ...

: 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., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...

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

Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

, 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 McF ...

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as 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: Original Versions - Soundtrack
at Allmusic ''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 New York City. History After its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had its first hit wit ...

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. Save for one vintage Little Richard song, it features new

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

and

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...

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). Produced by

and

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

, the 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 and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

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 singl ...

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...

, Coko of SWV, and Melanie Brown. 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 Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

and spawned the singles "

" by Melanie Brown featuring Missy Elliott (which peaked at number-one on the UK Singles Chart), En Vogue's " No Fool No More" (which peaked at 57 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100), and Destiny's Child's "

Get on the Bus ''Get on the Bus'' is a 1996 American drama film about a group of African-American men who are taking a cross-country bus trip in order to participate in the Million Man March. The film was directed by Spike Lee and premiered on the first annive ...

" (which peaked at 15 on the UK Singles Chart). Singer

Lil' Mo Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2001 single "Superwoman Pt. II" (featuring Fabolous), which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot ...

also made her debut with the single and music video for " Five Minutes".

Track listing

References

External links

* * * * * {{Gregory Nava 1990s historical romance films 1998 films 1998 romantic drama films 1990s legal films African-American drama films American biographical drama films American historical romance 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 Warner Bros. films Rhino Films films 1990s American films Frankie Lymon African-American biographical dramas English-language biographical drama films English-language romantic drama films