Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the top. “The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” has nothing to do with Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, or any of the other women who were once members of the legendary Motown group.
Based on a 2013 novel by Edward Kelsey Moore, the title comes from Earl, the owner of the restaurant, referring to the three inseparable Black women at the center of the story — Odette, Barbara Jean, and Clarice — as The Supremes. The movie follows their friendship from 1968 to 1999, but none of them sings (although one does play piano).
The movie is an absolute tearjerker from start to finish. Unfortunately, screenwriters Gina Prince-Bythewood and Tina Mabry (who also directed) filled the script with moments right out of the cliché screenplay handbook. There are relationships with men (Black and white), deaths in the family, medical issues, an unexpected pregnancy, an unfaithful husband, racist rednecks, and alcoholism. Sadly, the movie has nothing original to say about any of those issues. But it does keep emotions cranked up to ten — with a lot of tears, naturally.
The cast is led by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who I last saw as Venus and Serena Williams’ mother, Oracene, opposite Will Smith in “King Richard.” In every role she plays, Ellis-Taylor is a force of nature who grabs your attention and won’t let go. Here, she also narrates the story, a worn-out trope that often indicates lazy filmmaking (the exception, of course, is Morgan Freeman’s voiceover in “The Shawshank Redemption”).
Uzo Aduba and Sanaa Lathan play the other two adult women, with Tati Gabrielle, Kyanna Simone, and Abigail Achiri portraying them in their younger years. The supporting actors include Mekhi Phifer, Russell Hornsby, Jesse Gallegos, and the always reliable Vondie Curtis-Hall. It’s a powerhouse cast, but the material isn’t as good as they are.
I do have to stipulate that, as a white man in my sixties, I am definitely not the target demographic for this movie. Once it starts streaming on Hulu today, I’m sure it will find an audience. But I can’t give it more than a 5 out of 10.