Cocktails, romance and the value of friendships

There seems to have been a plethora of movies in recent years about groups of women who go through some sort of journey together.

Along the way there are dramas, shenanigans, a few too many cocktails consumed and often a romantic romp.

The Fabulous Four is the latest one to screen at the SBS St James Theatre.

If I am honest, I find some of the behaviour of these women a little cringe-worthy, especially the excessive alcohol consumption and the chasing after men a quarter of their age.

Maybe that is the comedic appeal of a movie like this.

The four women in this story are Lou (Susan Sarandon), Marilyn (Bette Midler), Alice (Megan Mullally) and Kitty (Sheryl Lee Ralph), who meet at college some time in the 1970s.

Lou and Marilyn flat in one apartment of the building where Alice and Kitty also live together.

While Marilyn keeps in touch with Alice and Kitty, she and Lou have an unresolved issue from the past and are not on speaking terms.

Marilyn moves to Key West, an island in the Florida archipelago, after the death of her husband.

Six months down the track she has met Ted (Bruce Greenwood) and the couple decide to marry.

During the conversation when Alice and Kitty are invited to be the bridesmaids, Marilyn expresses the wish that Lou could also be at the wedding.

Alice and Kitty manage to trick Lou, now a respected heart surgeon, to fly with them to Key West.

At that point everything starts to go pear-shaped for Lou, who not only realises she has been lied to by her friends, but she is brought face to face with the person who hurt her nearly 50 years ago.

I especially enjoyed the performances of Midler and Sarandon. The two characters they play are a great foil to each other.

Apart from the silliness there are some good messages in this movie, notably life is too short to hold a grudge, and the importance of relationships.