“Friends are the family you choose” – a hackneyed statement that has adorned many a greeting card and social media post. However, like any passé adage that has been recited to an inch of its life, it bears some truth – there is nothing quite as meaningful as finding a good friend, since they offer more than just companionship, and can be the source of inspiration, comfort and joy in even the most trying of situations. One recent example of a work exploring this concept in detail comes in the form of The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, a film adaptation of the novel of the same title by Edward Kelsey Moore, which is here directed by Tina Mabry in her second major directorial film effort after years of working on television. Set between the late 1960s and 1990s, the film follows the lives of Odette, Barbara Jean and Clarice, three African-American women growing up in a small southern town who come into each other’s lives as teenagers, and become close friends over the years, making their way through the decades side-by-side, supporting and encouraging each other to be the person possible version of themselves that they can be, all the while helping each other through some harrowing challenges that not only test the boundaries of their friendship, but their own identities as a whole, with the trio facing illness, death and heartbreak, all of which are only made bearable through their close friendship and the unbreakable bond they formed over the years. A very simple drama that leans into its conventions rather than actively attempting to conceal them (as has become popular in recent years), the film is a wonderfully exuberant celebration of the chosen bonds we form with people who become vital parts of our lives, the chosen families that we form based around common interests and shared struggles that ultimately have deeper roots than we realize, and which Mabry and everyone involved in this adaptation of a terrific novel held as their fundamental intention in telling this story, a challenging but worthwhile endeavour that yielded extraordinary results that may not be entirely original, but are consistent and comforting in their own right, and still truly memorable.

A film like The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat achieves nothing by hiding its intentions, and it chooses instead to lay out its themes fully from the first moment, with the opening narration making it very clear what this film would be exploring, and thus allowing the viewer to acclimate to the kind of story that we would be experiencing for the following two hours. This is a film about friendship more than anything else, and how it is a dynamic bond that does not always remain the same but is essential to helping us navigate life’s many challenges, particularly those that emerge unexpectedly and seemingly without any warning or justification in most cases. The trio of protagonists here are all women who have reached a certain age, so they can no longer depend on youthful naïvety as an excuse for the obstacles they face, and instead have to simply confront them as openly and explicitly as possible, while still maintaining some degree of composure that comes with being seen as a more longstanding member of the community. We don’t find many films about longtime friendships such as this, and while the story could have feasibly been told with younger protagonists, since age is not directly tied to most of the plot points, having the film revolve around characters on the other side of middle age, but who prove that they are as feisty and vivacious as they were in their younger years, if not even more so, since with age comes wisdom and a willingness to embrace oneself that is rarely possible in the days of juvenile insecurity. Layered on the theme of friendship are conversations around identity – the story being between the 1960s and 1990s and orbiting around a predominantly black community is not a negligible aspect of the story, and Mabry makes sure to underline the discussions around race, even if they’re not foregrounded for the most part. The thematic framework that guides The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is not difficult to recognize, and it tends to be a merit to make everything so clear since it leaves very little room for ambiguity and gives the film the space to focus instead on the ideas that matter, which is the ideal scenario for such a straightforward narrative and its underlying message that is so thoroughly explored.

When all else fails, a strong cast can salvage even the most paltry of material, and while it is a film with a good narrative, it would be foolish to imply that any success of The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat isn’t directly related to the work being done by the cast, with the central trio, in particular, turning in some career-best performances. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is one of those actors who has been working laboriously for decades but has only started to get more recognition in recent years, and her gradual movement into leading roles is evidence of the industry catching up with her and finally putting in the effort to highlight her exceptional gifts. Her performance in this film is incredible – she is the emotional anchor of the story, and the de facto protagonist, being the primary narrator and the person whose life we follow most closely. Ellis-Taylor has this beguiling quality that can only be described as the perfect combination of salt-of-the-earth grit and otherworldly wisdom, which makes every role she plays grounded within reality, but also deeply ethereal in what they represent. Sanaa Lathan and Uzo Aduba play the other two members of the titular trio, and both are just as tremendous as Ellis-Taylor, creating these well-defined, complex depictions of ordinary women facing various challenges. Lathan is utterly heartbreaking as the woman who has experienced nothing but loss in her life, but yet still finds a way to fight against her inner demons, while Aduba proves that she is one of the most chameleonic actors of her generation, being entirely convincing as the former musical prodigy stuffed into the unwanted position of being a docile housewife to a husband with a wandering eye and bad temper (and which she does entirely brilliantly, despite being about a decade too young for the part) – and the three actors carry the film incredibly well. The rest of the cast consists of several excellent supporting roles, some of which are more comedic than others, proving the impact that a well-crafted ensemble can have on a film, and how it can make even the most conventional of stories seem special and bespoke.

Without any doubt, The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is not a subtle film, and anyone entering into it under the assumption that they are going to witness some nuanced, delicate work is bound to be somewhat disappointed, primarily because this is something that takes a far more distinct approach to how it explores its underlying ideas. Mabry is not interested in pursuing something more quiet – this is a bold, elaborate character study that evokes the spirit of those compassionate melodramas of a bygone era, those films that are extremely predictable and perhaps heavy-handed to a significant degree, but still tend to be quite beloved based on how honest and earnest they are in terms of their content. This is a film forged in the shadow of works like Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias, stories about resilient women plumbing the depths of their memories and demonstrating the importance of friendship as not only a way to pass the time but as an ironclad way of getting through life’s challenges. Everyone involved is very much aware of the kind of film that they are making, and their ability to examine these themes without becoming too overwrought in the execution is a masterful example of how to make an old-fashioned drama without relying too heavily on unique elements. It is undeniable that there are some strong emotions peppered throughout this film, and the director does not retreat from these moments and instead confronts them directly and weaves them effectively into the narrative, which removes any attempt to remove the poignancy of the message, but still showing that it isn’t aiming to just be an overly sentimental, manipulative melodrama, but instead, a more proactive character-driven story that may veer towards excess in terms of its emotions, but never resounds as anything other than wholeheartedly honest in everything that they represent and intend to say, which is all part of the incredible appeal of this very effective film, one that is confrontational about certain issues without ever being obnoxious or inappropriately dense, which makes a profound difference when we consider the range of ideas that flow throughout this film.

Perhaps the best way to look at The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is as one of those conventional meat-and-potatoes melodramas that do not promise to be anything other than well-crafted, deeply meaningful glimpses into the lives of ordinary people. Everything else that comes about in the meantime is only additional since the intention behind this film was to take a solid novel and turn it into an adaptation that is filled with both joy and sadness, showing how these two very different emotions can be balanced to create a memorable depiction of the uneven and unpredictable nature of daily life, especially for those who are born into a world where they are immediately labelled as inferior based on something as trivial as their sex and race, neither of which are enough to qualify any judgement, but which can be a source of motivation for people as they attempt to rise out of their dire circumstances and achieve a better life by any means necessary. The film is an effectively charming, upbeat story of friendship triumphing over adversity, even when the central relationship between the women that drive this story tends to be subjected to a lot of conflict on its own, showing that even the most ironclad of friendships can go through rough patches, and only by weathering such storms can the true nature of the connection be seen. It’s a poignant and heartfelt film that has some tremendous performances, which make an already wonderful script even more enthralling. By no means a complex film, but instead one that is earnest and heartwarming, while still tackling challenging subject matter, The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is a very effective film and one that proves the importance of allowing stories such as these to flourish and become their special creation.