Stella's Groove: Männer sind die halbe Miete

You know, when you're in the mood for a fantasy chick flick, this IS good. I mean it CAN be unrealistic but if it were a guy (the main character) would it be different than half the movies out there? Personally I tried to turn the darned thing off, but it was 3 am, my night off, and I ended up flaking on the couch and watching it. I liked it. Its nice to have a feel good movie without violence and people blowing each other up. The characters were too perfect, they lived perfect lives, and for me it was nice to get away. Maybe I fell asleep :P but no complaints. I didn't pay to see it, nor would I buy it. Its the perfect movie to watch with your girlfriends, have some wine, and complain about their perfect lives ;) Overall the story line deals with true issues and can make you think about your own life..... Thats all :P

Stella gets her groove back, alright, but the film is still in need by the time you get to the end credits. Angela Bassett gives a kick-ass performance in the title role as a fortysomething woman who can't decide what to do when she falls in love with twenty-one year-old Taye Diggs while on vacation at a resort in Jamaica. Do 'im is what I say: if a woman like Bassett looks that good at the age of forty she deserves the best of everything. Besides, Diggs doesn't look nearly young enough for the part, and that keeps reality at bay for the two and some odd hours that the film runs at. The scene where teenage girls get in line behind the couple at a movie theatre and give Stella dirty looks for robbing the cradle always puzzles me; if I were that young an age and found myself standing behind Angela Bassett I'd be asking her what kind of skin creams does she use and does she work out and maybe there might be a portrait hidden in her attic that has all her sins hanging off it? Whoopi Goldberg gives the best and funniest performance in the film, but even she can't prevent the script by Ronald Bass and Terry McMillan (upon whose novel this is based) from seeming like it's two or three drafts short of being finished. Watch it if only for a great soundtrack and some beautiful photography of Jamaica's beaches.

Angela Bassett delivers another wonderful performance (is she not one of the greatest actors of out time?), but unfortunately, it's not enough to raise this movie to the level of greatness I expected from it.

There's no doubt, the film is beautiful to look at and the performances are good all around. But the script is lacking that certain something that makes you believe the whys and hows. We can certainly understand why Stella fell in love with that 20 year old--he's gorgeous, sincere and very mature for his age. But the crucial information we're missing is why he falls for her.

He approaches her because of her physcial beauty, but stays for an unknown reason. Why WOULD a 20 year old be so willing to pursue a woman twice his age after a casual meeting? Why is he so mature and understanding at such a young age? We'll never know and that's what kept me from believing this film.

Another problem is the seemingly pointless demise of one of the characters (I won't say who). This event didn't carry the story forward and acted more as a detractor from the plot that anything else. It should have been used to help the other characters develop, but it instead that little subplot dissolved into oblivion.

Overall, I would certainly recommend Stella. It was an enjoyable and sincere story. But it could have been so much better.

"How Stella Got her Groove Back" was a refreshing change from the legion of "Hood" movies that have infested the 1990's. The movie; based on the Terry McMillan novel by the same name; stars: Angela Bassett as a fortyish six-figure income, single mom that falls for a young stud while vacationing in Jamaica.

"Stella" did not have a plot that revolved around: violence, guns and drugs. It effectively portrays the stigma attached to a older woman-younger man relationship, without pandering to a lot of ethnic stereotypes! It showed what a fine actress Angela Bassett was. It also showed Angela Bassett in skivvies!

Every woman that has been accused of "Robbing the Cradle" can relate to this motion picture! How Stella got Her Groove Back effectively portrayed an age gap love story. It takes character to see beyond the age difference in a romantic relationship.

Angela Bassett does an outstanding job. To those of you who can't understand why Stella needs her groove back, you have only to look up the word mundane. No matter how much money you have or Chanel suits you own that doesn't mean you have true companionship. We all want a real connection someone to hold us, love us and tell us it will get better. And that transcends age and socio economics. Sometimes people are right on time. No one can go through the world completely alone. We never know what or how long any relationship will last so I suppose the most important thing is to seize the day. Make your own reality and Stella does that with dignity and with pride and admittedly with hesitation and fear. That's the sign of a very real character! Someone who is vulnerable. Someone you can understand even if you're not in the same situation.