An all-star cast struggles to find their rhythm in this chaotic bachelorette adventure.
By Dana Barbuto/Boston Movie News

The grand finale of “The Fabulous Four” is a big dance number set to Jimmy Cliff’s “I Can See Clearly Now,” and everyone’s shimmies and shakes are out of rhythm. And just like the dance, the movie itself is a hot mess. Despite boasting a powerhouse cast—Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Megan Mullally—these stars can’t find their groove as lifelong besties gathered for a wedding weekend in Key West. They give it their all, but the script is as flat as a deflated beachball and doesn’t come close to their talent.

Marilyn (Midler), a recent widow, is the dizzy bride and budding TikTok star (because, apparently, it’s hilarious when older people use social media!). Lou (Sarandon) is a heart surgeon, straight-laced and uptight. Kitty (Ralph) is a cannabis farmer (because, of course, someone has to bring the pot), and Alice (Mullally) is a perpetually horny rock star. Go, Alice!

The conflict? Lou and Marilyn have been beefing for 40 years because Marilyn stole Lou’s boyfriend back in college. Lou’s still holding a grudge, so the girls trick their cat-obsessed doctor friend into joining them by telling her she won a rare, extra-toed Hemingway cat. And she’s supposed to be the “smart” one? Yikes!

Over the next 90 minutes, the women dive headfirst into mojitos, parasailing mishaps, and some man drama. Bruce Greenwood and Timothy V. Murphy play the requisite silver foxes. Murphy’s character, Capt. Ernie adds to the overload of Hemingway references in this Key West setting. His big move? Quoting “The Old Man and the Sea.” Swoon!

Working from a script by Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly (“Golden Arm”), director Jocelyn Moorhouse (“The Dressmaker”) never quite gets the ensemble to click. Everyone seems to be on a different level of buzzed. But scene-stealer Mullally, as the “postmenopausal wolf in heat,” is having an absolute blast, slinging one-liners and sneaking off for closet rendezvous. Meanwhile, Sarandon wrestles with the “life is too short for grudges” lesson. At least the tavern-on-wheels rolling down Duval Street looks like a good time.

If all this sounds familiar, it’s because the “women-over-60 gone wild” flick has become its own subgenre. Think “Summer Camp” from earlier this year, the “Book Club” movies, and “80 For Brady.” Like those, this one is a whirlwind of boneheaded situations—overindulging in edibles, mistaken identities, and plenty of bachelorette hijinks. These lead to nutty consequences and hurt feelings, all resolved with confessions, apologies, group hugs, and even exotic dancers. Kudos to the filmmakers and cast for fighting back against aging stereotypes and showing that older women are still the polydactyl cat’s meow. (Just make it funnier next time).

‘The Fabulous Four’

Rated: R for drug use, some sexual material, and language

Cast: Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Megan Mullally and Bruce Greenwood

Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse

Writers: Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly

Runtime: 98 minutes

Where: In theaters July 26

Grade: C