"The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat" is a melodrama set between 1950 and 1999, focusing on the lives of three friends. The film stars Uzo Aduba as Clarice, Barbara Jean as the fragile beauty, and Auannaue Ellis-Taylor as the bigmouth who narrates the film. The film is directed by Tina Mabry and stars Mekhi Phifer, Russell Hornsby, and Vondie Curtis-Hall. The script, adapted from Edward Kelsey Moore's novel, takes a few liberties, turning the titular hangout into a retro-chic diner and blurring the location to Anytown, America. The score is whimsical and the scene transitions teeter toward the absurd, but it's a treat to watch these believable pals hoist each other back up, taking the occasional breather to clink milkshakes in slow motion. The movie is filled with twists and turns, making it a satisfying indulgence for those looking for a deep-fried decadence. The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat is a movie adapted from Edward Kelsey Moore's bestselling novel and directed by Tina Mabry. The film follows three best friends, played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Uzo Aduba, and Sanaa Lathan, who face various challenges in their later years. The characters, dubbed "the Supremes" due to a resemblance to Diana Ross's singers, are portrayed by Big Earl, the proprietor of Earl's All-You-Can-Eat, a diner where the community gathers for drinks and dancing. The Supremes, who lived at Earl's from 1967 to 1999, work through their love, losses, and regrets, never having anything more than a soda or an unopened bottle of ketchup in front of them. The movie aims to fill a vacuum by choosing joy and laughter over emotional truth, despite the circumstances of its storytelling. The title may be clickbaity, but the movie is a flighty time-hopping drama book-ended by death, highlighting the resilience and resilience of the characters amidst the challenges they face. The film follows the friendship of three young women, Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean, who form a bond through female solidarity after losing their abusive mother. Odette, known for her feisty nature, senses that Barbara Jean is in an unsafe situation, and she and Clarice step up as her protectors. They eventually find Barbara Jean a new home with Big Earl, a saintly restaurateur who takes in a young white kid named Ray. Barbara Jean immediately takes to Ray, sensing a kindred spirit from across the racial divide.
At midlife, the girls attend to Big Earl's passing, where his benefactor dies while praying, as though he summoned the higher power to take his life. His widow, Donna Biscoe, turns his funeral into a slapstick farce to disturb her rest. The film is passably likable, but the comedy tends to be broad, the drama unconvincing, and the movie never settles into its competing tones. The narrative has a restlessness, cherry-picking through these lives and rushing the heavier moments, leaving little room for the characters to truly stew in their emotions. This shorthand is especially jarring when we are suddenly presented with crucial details, such as the fact that one character has raised a family when it's briefly mentioned in passing and the child of another dies. The erratic storytelling leaves The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat making gestures towards the movie that it never truly becomes. The film is a cautionary tale about the power of friendship and the need for empathy and understanding in difficult situations.
