I’m sure it’s me, but when I hear “Nobody’s Fool” I immediately flash back to high school and Cinderella’s hit of that title rings through my head. Obviously, Tyler Perry’s Nobody’s Fool is out on February 12 on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital formats, and could not be further from that hair metal band’s hit! In fact, Nobody’s Fool is a touching, comedic film about love, sisterhood and above all else—listening to the heart. A perfect film to land near Valentine’s Day.
For those of you who may believe that star Tiffany Haddish is everywhere and maybe it’s time she takes a break, first of all-there can be no such thing as too much Haddish and secondly, Nobody’s Fool truly finds her in a supporting role as the sister of Tika Sumpter. Haddish is Tanya and Sumpter is Danica. This is the latter’s story.
Danica has had her heart broken by her former fiancé, who hooked up with someone else and now is set to marry them any week now. Hesitant to join the dating world after that burn, she online dates a man named Charlie—and the people around her think she might be getting “Catfished.” She’s never met Charlie. She’s never seen Charlie and he always has excuses for why he can’t FaceTime, i.e. he is on an oil rig and the Wi-Fi is wonky.
When we meet Tanya, Danica is picking her up from prison. She’s supposed to go to AA for her substance abuse issues and immediately get a job as part of her probation agreement. Her mother (Whoopi Goldberg doing her best work in years) doesn’t want her around and suggests she stays with her sister. Probably best, mom grows and smokes marijuana like crazy—not the best environment for someone on parole!
Danica helps Tanya get a job at the coffee house next to the building where she works, and it is there that Frank (Omari Hardwick) has been crushing on Danica forever. He offers Tanya a job, she is thrilled and it’s an opportunity for our guy to further get to know Danica.
But things are not that simple. Attitudes, family issues and societal perceptions enter the fray in a romantic comedy that feels fresh, modern and above all else, heartwarming and hilarious.
Perry is prolific, for that there is no question. He is doing some of his most original work with Nobody’s Fool and it is terrific. The filmmaker has cast this thing, top to bottom, brilliantly and they all live and breathe Perry’s script and bring it to life in a manner that will warm your heart. It doesn’t hurt that Perry has a hurricane/force of nature talent that is Haddish. Sure, she can play manic to the tilt and have us laughing our tails off. But she goes deeper here and achieves two things—convinces us that she could be as street as the toughest hustler out there (after all, her character did just get out of jail). Also, she has deep emotional heart towards her mother and her sister and generally wants to work hard to impress the both of them, as well as love them to the fullest.
Sumpter, fresh off those Ride Along movies, is the anchor of this story and does so in a manner where we can literally feel her heart confusion between her “never seen him” boyfriend and the coffee shop owner with a heart of gold, but with a past she wants nothing to do with. Then, there’s her chemistry with Haddish that is touching and utterly convincing that these two could be so different yet cut from the same cloth.
First of all, the moment the film ends, head on over to the Gag Reel and prepare to laugh yourself silly. With an improv queen like Haddish playing in Perry’s sandbox, anything can happen.
Then, there are nine (yes, nine!) featurettes. The first that must be highlighted, considering the draw of this film, is the relationship between Tanya and Danica. Tale of Two Sisters chronicles the sisters throughout the movie and how their paths intersect, collide and hopefully, intertwine.
Can’t have an icon like Goldberg in the movie and not give her the spotlight. The Legend and the Star does just that as the legend chats up her role that found her having more fun than should be allowed and how she saw portraying the matriarch to two couldn’t be more different siblings. One thing immediately pops into mind with this featurette, Goldberg needs to ditch The View and make movies full time! Come on, Whoopi… do it!
Another delightful featurette is Mocha Latte Extra Laughs. This one features Hardwick’s character and how he battles his way through a love triangle when one of the members might not even exist.
Breakfast with Tiffany finds Haddish, Hardwick, Amber Riley (who portrays Sumpter’s work BFF) and Sumpter as they talk about what it was like to make the movie and work with a legend in Perry. After witnessing the movie, the joy of this featurette will be no surprise. These folks truly love each other and cherish each other’s company. That comes through every frame of this featurette and the film itself.
Saluting the man behind the magic is I’m Just Trusting Tyler Perry. This bonus feature puts the camera on Perry as viewers get to witness the supreme talent of Perry and how he is equally adept at the technical aspect of the art form and the interpersonal element of working with actors—all with one eye on the overreaching arc of the story itself. I’m telling you, he’s a master.
Early in the film, when Danica picks up her sister from jail, the viewer immediately gets the tone of the film. Bring the Funny showcases the making of that get out of jail scene with Haddish doing her best to make everything she does produce an audience LOL—which she does in spades. She Ready or Not: Here Comes the Wedding Crasher is another Haddish gem. It focuses on a scene at the end of the film where she crashes her sister’s ex and his wedding.
A funny made for the movie commercial for Something New from Tyler Perry Perfume is a hilarious bonus featurette that again showcases the humorous level of the filmmaker’s latest. There’s an accompanying featurette, Catfished Perfume with Outtakes that gives us a fake commercial for the film itself. That supremely talented Haddish slays us again.
Film Grade: B
Bonus Features: B