A Tyler Perry film with the hilarious Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip) seemed like a no brainer. Unfortunately there are issues (spoilers ahead).
Catfished
From the trailer, Nobody’s Fool appeared to be primarily about hunting down and getting revenge on someone perpetrating a catfish scheme. To some extent it is. There are fun cameos from Nev and Max from MTV’s Catfish as well as another high profile celebrity that I will keep secret.
Instead the film is about getting trapped by our expectations of what we want in a life partner. Danica (Tika Sumpter) has a list of requirements that a man must meet to date her. Her list is as idealistic as it is unrealistic and actually quite elitist. As Danica searches for her true love she judges men unfairly, makes dumb if not downright mean decisions and spends a lot of time shaking her bobbed hair around and feeling it brush against her face. As the main character we should have sympathy for Danica in her quest for love, but in the end she is actually just irritating. Rather than rooting for her to get the great guy, I was rooting for her to be struck by lightning while standing in the rain begging for his forgiveness. She doesn’t deserve the nice guy.
Bright Spots
Omari Hardwick plays coffee shop owner Frank. In case you are not familiar with his body, of work, here he is.
Best known for his television work in Being Mary Jane and Power, Hardwick gives a sweet performance of a man in love doing his best to reinvent himself after some serious past mistakes.
Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost) and Tiffany Haddish are funny and outrageous as Danica’s pot smoking mom and ex-con sister respectively.
It was also delightful to see Glee’s Amber Riley on the big screen.
Meh
There are some big laughs and over the top comedic moments, especially from Haddish, but sadly it’s not enough to save this film. At times the dialogue is weak and even though there is a practical message from the film (keep your heart open because what you think you want may not be what you need) my theater dollars could have been better spent elsewhere.
Did you see Nobody’s Fool this weekend?
What did you think?
