Waiting to Exhale
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| Waiting to Exhale | |
|---|---|
| Image:WaitingExhale.jpg | |
| Directed by | Forest Whitaker |
| Produced by | Ronald Bass Terry McMillan Deborah Schindler Ezra Swerdlow |
| Written by | Terry McMillan (book and teleplay) Ronald Bass (teleplay) |
| Starring | Whitney Houston Angela Bassett Loretta Devine Lela Rochon |
| Music by | Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | December 22, 1995 |
| Running time | 127 min. |
| Country | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15,000,000 |
| Gross revenue | Domestic: $67,052,156[1] Worldwide $81,452,156 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 romance film starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett and directed by Forest Whitaker. The movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by Terry McMillan and also stars Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon. The original music score was composed by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The story centers on four female friends living in the Phoenix, AZ area and their relationships with men and one another. All of them are "holding their breath" until the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship with a man.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Savannah Jackson (Whitney Houston) is a television producer who holds on to the belief that one day her married lover (Dennis Haysbert) will leave his wife for her. Bernadine Harris (Angela Bassett) abandoned her own career and desires of having a catering business to raise a family. Her husband is now leaving her for a white woman. Robin Stokes (Lela Rochon) is the long-time mistress of Russell (Leon Robinson). After dumping him she has problems finding a decent man of her own. Gloria Matthews (Loretta Devine) is a beauty salon owner and single mother raising a teenage son. After years alone, she falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin King (Gregory Hines).
[edit] Soundtrack
- Full article: Waiting to Exhale (soundtrack)
The soundtrack to the film featured many African-American female artists. The #1 hit song "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", sung by Whitney Houston, is on the soundtrack to this film, as well as the Top 5 singles "Not Gon' Cry" by Mary J. Blige, "Sittin Up In My Room" by Brandy, and the Top 10 single "Count On Me" by Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans.
[edit] Cast
- Whitney Houston as Savannah 'Vannah' Jackson
- Angela Bassett as Bernadine 'Bernie' Harris
- Loretta Devine as Gloria 'Glo' Matthews
- Lela Rochon as Robin Stokes
- Gregory Hines as Marvin King
- Dennis Haysbert as Kenneth Dawkins
- Mykelti Williamson as Troy
- Michael Beach as John Harris, Sr.
- Leon as Russell
- Wendell Pierce as Michael Davenport
- Donald Faison as Tarik Matthews
- Jeffrey D. Sams as Lionel
- Jazz Raycole as Onika Harris
- Brandon Hammond as John Harris, Jr.
- Kenya Moore as Denise
- Wesley Snipes as James Wheeler (uncredited)
- Giancarlo Esposito as David Matthews (uncredited)
[edit] Awards/Nominations
- Image Awards
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture:
- (Angela Bassett) Winner
- (Whitney Houston) Nominated
- Outstanding Soundtrack: Winner
- Outstanding Motion Picture: Winner
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture: (Gregory Hines) Nominated
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture:
- (Loretta Devine) Winner
- (Lela Rochon) Nominated
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture:
- MTV Movie Awards
- Best Female Breakthrough Performance: (Lela Rochon) Nominated
- Best Song From a Movie:
- Brandy - "Sittin' Up In My Room" Winner
- Whitney Houston - "Shoop Shoop" Nominated
[edit] Trivia
- Director Forest Whitaker was the unanimous first choice of the film's producers and screenwriters.
- Houston's role in the film bore a resemblance to the character she played in the music video to her single "Saving All My Love for You" - a woman having an affair with a married man.
- Although Whitaker had earlier directed an HBO drama called Strapped (1993) for which he received Best New Director honors at the Toronto Film Festival this film was his first job directing a full-length feature film.
- Forest Whitaker stated in an interview with Ebony Magazine that Robin Givens and Halle Berry were among the women who auditioned for the role of Robin. After casting Houston and Bassett, he decided to go with relative unknowns for the other two roles, and the role of Robin was subsequently given to Lela Rochon.
- The movie has been featured in two episodes of The Simpsons: All Singing, All Dancing, where the family were put on hold for it but were told "not to hold their breath", and E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt), where it was mentioned in conversation.
- The scene where Bernadine sets her husbands' personal belongings and car on fire was referenced in an episode of The Steve Harvey Show. Lydia's character becomes angry with "Bullethead" and throws his personal effects out of their shared locker. She is about to set them on fire with a lighter, and states "I'm about to go Angela Bassett and I don't have any lighter fluid." Ultimately, Steve intervenes to prevent this from happening.
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
Whitney Houston | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | Whitney Houston · Whitney · I'm Your Baby Tonight · My Love Is Your Love · Just Whitney |
| Soundtracks | The Bodyguard · Waiting to Exhale · The Preacher's Wife |
| Other albums | Whitney: The Greatest Hits · Love, Whitney · One Wish: The Holiday Album · The Ultimate Collection |
| Related articles | Discography · Chart achievements · Awards · Grammy history |
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