The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat sounds like a fast-food tie-in for Dreamgirls. In reality, the film shares no direct connection to that musical or the Motown girl group that inspired it. One of the main characters is an aspiring singer, although she puts that dream on hold to raise a family. Despite singing solo, she is part of an inseparable trio who regularly dine at a restaurant called Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat. Now that we’ve gotten that long-winded title out of the way, what’s the story about? In a word, friendship. The cynic in you may roll your eyes at that description, but it’s hard not to be won over by the final curtain.
Based on Edward Kelsey Moore’s novel, Tina Mabry’s film chronicles one friendship between three women across several decades. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Kyanna Simone own the screen as Odette, who claims that her mother gave birth up a tree. Whether or not that’s just a tall tale, Odette is fearless from day one. Sanaa Lathan and Tati Gabrielle play Barbara Jean, a timid girl encouraged to live more fearlessly. Finally, there’s Uzo Aduba and Abigail Achiri as Clarice, the aforementioned singer who let her voice go unheard for the sake of her family. As Clarice grows older, though, she begins to second-guess the sacrifices she made for her husband Richmond (Russell Hornsby/Xavier Mills).
Odette has a stronger marriage with her husband James (Mekhi Phifer/Dijon Means), who’s remained loyal since the day he came out of his shell to ask her out. Barbara Jean has loved two men. Her romance with a white man named Chick (Julian McMahon/Ryan Paynter) seems doomed to end in heartbreak given the time period. She also grows close to Lester (Vondie Curtis-Hall/Cleveland Berto), an older man who’s there for her when nobody else is. The real love story is between the three central ladies, who nickname themselves the Supremes. Whether we’re watching their older or younger counterparts, the bond between these women is never less than sincere.
While each woman has individual conflicts to overcome, there isn’t an end-all goal that the plot is building toward. We spend most of the film simply watching these characters live their lives, which can be absorbing as long as the characters are charming. We empathize with all three Supremes, even if the story can tread on the familiar territory. From the small town setting to the quirky side characters, The Supremes echoes several other female friendship films. Movies like this also come with more than a few obligatory tragedies, which can be manipulative in the wrong hands. The Supremes nearly veers into this territory, but the genuine performances always pull it back.
The strength of the film lies in its ensemble. Both generations of actors are wonderful in their respective roles, although the veteran performers eclipse most of the third act. Even if we’ve seen characters like these before, none of the actors feel like they’re portraying caricatures. They do admittedly feel like characters we usually only read about in books and see in the movies. That doesn’t make them any less enjoyable to be around. Much like a warm meal at a local diner, The Supremes is comfort food with just enough substance.