Why do fools fall in love?

Bringing the term "womanizer" to a whole new level, Why Do Fools Fall in Love tells the life story of 1950's pop singer Frankie Lymon through the recollections of three women who all claim to be his legitimate wife and heir. The premise seems promising enough, but the movie falls flat because the characters are just not interesting or sympathetic. The women in question-Halle Berry as a glamorous singer, Vivica A. Fox as a shoplifting welfare mom and Lela Rochon as a country school marm-are never fleshed out and their dialogue is painfully trite and stereotypical.

Though Larenz Tate has a damn cute smile, he lacks the on-stage charisma to be believable as the sensational performer Lymon was supposed to be (and the awkward lip-synching doesn't help matters much).

Of course, there are several redeeming moments, including an emotional scene between Fox and Tate and a cameo by the always bizarre and entertaining Little Richard-who manages to make sequins look respectable, even at a funeral.

But for the most part, the movie underestimates the viewer's ability to reach his own conclusions. In fact, the simplification of love and relationships made it more suitable for a one-hour made-for-TV special than a two-hour-plus feature film. -by Ali Korein