Waiting to Exhale Movie Review 1995

Adaptation of Terry McMillan's novel about four African-American women hoping to reach the point in their love lives when they can relax and stop waiting for the right man. After the string of dogs and users they choose, you want to tell them not to hold their breath. The women are supposed to be close friends, but all of their stories are broken up into vignettes. This erodes the ensemble feeling of the movie, but performances are strong all around. Retaining the book's feel of just-between-friends girl talk, it may be a little harsh for those who are, shall we say, estrogen-challenged. A lush R&B soundtrack is the perfect backdrop for the ladies' soulful yearning for real love.

Distribution

Fox Home Entertainment, PO Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213, Phone: (310)369-3900, Toll-free: 888-223-4FOX, Fax: (310)369-5811, URL: http://www.foxmovies.com/index1.html, Remarks: Also known as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 120 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Female Bonding, Women, Wonder Women, Romantic Triangles, New Year's Eve, African America, Rock Stars on Film, Books to Film: Terry McMillan

Screenplay

Ronald Bass

Cast

Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, Gregory Hines, Dennis Haysbert, Mykelti Williamson, Michael Beach, Leon, Wendell Pierce, Donald Adeosun Faison, Jeffrey D. Sams, Toyomichi Kurita

Director

Forest Whitaker

Music

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds

Other

Wesley Snipes

Producer

Ezra Swerdlow

Awards

MTV Movie Awards 1996: Song ("Sittin' Up in My Room").