Waiting to Exhale
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Movie Reviews of Waiting to Exhale
Movie Review: Not Quite As Polished As Hyped
Summary: 3 Stars
Big Budget African-American movies powered by high-octane music and commercial marketing build up a product that often falters because of one red-marked reason: the product does not live up to the anticipation (The brilliant MALCOLM X represents the one exception). WAITING TO EXHALE (WTE) does not stray from that outcome.
Like STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK and BELOVED, WTE displays all the muscles, attire, and connections for a genre-defining romantic movie along the lines of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY or FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL or even PRETTY WOMAN, but it loses credibility not because of its cast or production, but because of its convoluted storytelling. The best love stories possess some of the very best storytelling in movie history (GONE WITH THE WIND, TITANIC, MARTY).
The story begins well, but gets bogged down when Whitney Houston's long-standing "sometimes beau" (the always wonderful Dennis Haysbert) pops into the picture. While in the beginning, the interlocking stories of Houston's, Bassett's, Rochon's, and Devine's characters intrigue the viewer, Houston's relationship twists/turns dominate the film's second half causing it to change its focus from multinomial to monomial. Nothing dooms a movie away from excellence than changing foci.
If you want a well-written, enduring African-American love story, try JASON'S LYRIC, THE WOOD, THE BEST MAN, BROWN SUGAR. Try three of the greatest of the era: BOOMERANG, STRICTLY BUSINESS, and TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME . Also try some great TV series (A DIFFERENT WORLD, SOUL FOOD, GIRLFRIENDS, LIVING SINGLE).
WAITING TO EXHALE diverts the attention while it plays, but in the end, you will probably remember the movie for what it really defines: a B-class movie under A-class window dressing.
Movie Review: Desperate women who need to BREATHE.
Summary: 3 Stars
At first I loved this movie, it was one of my favorites. As a young lady who just turned 21, at that time I completely related to their struggles. A year later, I re-watched the film with more maturity. Surprising, my perspective of it was totally different.
Essentially, it is the story of four horny black women who think men are the key to happiness.
Yes, everybody craves sex at some point, some people more than others. The audience can resonate with their lust for sex, the characters' weaknesses, and minor faults. Still, after watching the movie a couple times, I realized that the characters in this film are simply naive.
I'm not trying to imply that females should be totally independent, and should never desire to date. However, they need to have standards!
Since the four characters are desperate for sex and a stable relationship, they lower their standards. This compromises their self-respect, morals and personal interests in order to "get a man". Obviously, they lure the sleaziest men the world has to offer. Even the four characters know that the men they're dating are worthless, as they repeat to themselves throughout the film. Nevertheless, the ladies waste time on these dogs in order to fuel they need for sex and attention.
At the end, it seems that they find more solidarity and happiness amongst each other. Though they don't seem to have fully learned from their mistakes, and seem likely to repeat the immature behavior.
To conclude, they need to breathe first, and with that added energy, they should cultivate some sense.
Movie Review: Sex and the City with a Twist
Summary: 3 Stars
I must admit that I liked this film a lot more than I thought I would. Though at times padded and overwrought, "Exhale" ends up being more than a sum of its parts thanks mostly to Loretta Devine, who is superb as a full-figured divorcee with a rebellious son and a gay ex husband. Though her performance is the most sublime of the four actresses, Ms. Devine is the most affecting, proving that less is more. Compared to the sparkling Ms. Devine, the other Stars often struggle. Ms. Bassett, who is usually excellent, becomes a cliche as her husband leaves her for (gasp) a white woman and she is resigned to burning his wardrobe, destroying his car, and calling her rival the "B" word at her Ex's office. I can hear Oprah screaming "You Go Girl!" but more subtelty would be refreshing . On the other hand, Ms. Rachon is forgettable as she meanders through one worthless relationship to another. Then there is Whitney Houston, who is simply out of her league. Lacking Ms. Devine's superior acting chops or Ms. Bassett's charisma, poor Whitney poses beautifully but moves her neck like a bobblehead and any second you expect her to cry out "Crack is Whack!" She behaves like a moron for most of the film (even using bad grammar as she admits to "Axing" God for help !) but finally has a moment of clarity and gives her creepy married lover his walking papers. I do give Director Forrest Whitaker points for keeping the story moving at a nice clip but the message here that all men are Creeps (except for the ones whose wives have died) is tiring.Movie Review: three Stars for Angela bassett. Buy the book instead.
Summary: 3 Stars
Waiting to Exhale The movie is like a Cliff's note version of the book. A thin condensed version of the novel that skims the surface of the source material and gives the viewer a general overview of the actual story. This watered down movie dilutes the richness of Terry McMillan's novel and removes all the depth and substance from the characters. The key theme of women realizing that they make their own choices regarding the men in their lives is lost in the quest to commercialize black women's pain.Angela Bassett gives a strong performance despite the weak material, however the other actors drown in this bland, homogenized movie that pushes style over subtance. A wooden Whitney Houston and a vapid Lela Rochon are horribly miscast, and Loretta Devine struggles to do her best with the weak script. The male actors with the exception of Gregory Hines, and Michael Beach cannot get past one dimension because the screenplay won't let them utilize all their acting skills. The Wesley Snipes cameo is indicative of what's wrong with this movie; it's a sellout of the original material. And that is the problem with Waiting to Exhale, a horrible script that compromises the artistic integrity of the original book. Terry McMillan and Ron Bass mistranslate a 400+ page deep novel full of three-dimensional characters, subtext and a complex plot into a shallow one-dimensional screenplay that has been sterilized for Hollywood. To really enjoy the story buy the book instead. It pulls no punches and will be far more entertaining.
Movie Review: waiting for the movie to get to the end
Summary: 3 Stars
it was not realy that good as i expected it to be but i wasn't disapointed too much. it's a realy human and realistic story so it's also sad and moving. bassett and houston raely are great in this movie but also the actresses who played robin and gloria were wonderful. i think it's amovie not everyone should see but if you feel in the modd for watching this kind of movie then do it. i was a little tire as i've watched this picture so i guess that's because it seemed never to end...