Où sont les hommes?

While this movie truly is bound to be more appealing to women than men, it is a touching story of four best friends. How they stick together and grow together through life's mistakes, joys, and bad taste in men. I love Angela Bassett and she is outstanding in this movie. The other 3 ladies, Whitney,Lela, and Loretta do great jobs too. This movie is filled with sweet moments, great laughter, and maybe some tears. Just a wonderful movie that shows what friendship is about. I have not read the book, but I have heard many times that the book is better... but hey thats true for almost every book turned movie. So all I know is I love this movie, and every time I watch it, it gives me great pleasure. Not too mention the soundtrack is fabulous! Whitney, Brandy, Babyface,Faith Evans,and Mary J Blige make the music in the film absolutely great.

I read some of the other comments comcerning this movie. And personally i thought that this movie was greatly misinterpreted. This movie (while have some "man-bashing" elements) is more about the friendship of four strong real black women who represent a little part of most women in society. I love this movie. I think that it has humor, depth, and presents a very real perspective on love and dating in today's world. And while men might take offense to the representation of the male gender in this movie, I think that it's important to realize that unfaithful, self-absorbed men do exist. However, as we must acknowledge the less moral men of our society, this movie also portrays that good decent men are not a figment of our imagination. With Wesley Snipes and Gregory Hines characters, we see that men are not all callous unfeeling creatures. So basically, I feel that this movie is one to be appreciated and enjoyed. (And in response to one respone that i read. . . One does not CHOOSE who they fall in love with, love just happens. We cannot choose who we love.) Anyways. . .i loved the part where she burned all the clothes too :)

The Feature Film version of the MacMillan Novel was a welcome change from all the "Hood" movies that were being released. Unlike the Hood movies "Exhale" did not have a plot that revolved around: violence,drugs, and guns. Instead it was a more Upscale drama. If you read the book the roles were cast perfectly with the exception of the woman that played Savannah. Angela Bassett as Bernadine, Lela Rochon as Robin; Loretta Devine as Gloria; could not have been better casted, if the movie were done over a thousand times!

Unfortunately Terry MacMillan allowed the project to get too commercial, thus compromising her craft! One verification of this is the exporting of Whitney Houston from the Music Industry to fill the lead as Savannah. The part of Savannah demanded a lot of acting ability. They could've gotten Theresa Randall, Robin Givens or Tyra Ferrell to do the lead, but they didn't. Instead they hired a pop diva in an effort to get millions of her fans into the cineplexes; and of course sing on the Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds produced soundtrack! Needless to say the grammy Award winner gave a highly unimpressive performance!

As for the directing; now Forest Whittaker's my boy, but the direction needed a womans touch! The story was supposed to be about feminine friendship, and all the complications that go with it.

Despite the box-office success of "Waiting to Exhale" it failed to produce a demand for more Upscale Black Dramas! Macmillan had to do it herself in her follow up book turned movie "How Stella Got Her Groove Back!"

Read my review of "How Stella Got Her Groove Back"

This wasn't a bad movie. The acting was great (although Whitney Houston still seems mediocre). Some of the scenes were powerful and funny. However, unlike the book which also deals with the sisterhood of Black women, the movie becomes a long "Men are pigs" tirade that gets weary after a while. Plus it's sometimes hard to root for the characters. For instance, considering all the one-night stands Savannah has, it's hard to see why she's questioning her ability to find a good man. Overall, Waiting to Exhale, is basically a sorely-needed bonding movie for African-American women that, while a little biased, is good escapist fun.

That's the word I'd use to describe the film, an adaptation of Terry McMillan's 1992 best-seller. It's not great, it's not bad, but it's frustrating to watch, and the fact that I'm of the male persuasion undoubtedly had something to do with it.

Now, let me be the first to say that I did enjoy seeing a group of strong black women portrayed onscreen. To say that Hollywood has been exceedingly lax in this regard is an understatement. But it would've been nice if their collective talents hadn't been squandered on this disgustingly anti-male tirade. Especially Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine, who otherwise shine in everything their names are attached to. Good, solid movies about sisterhood are probably needed now more than ever, but not at the cost of shortchanging the good, upright, decent brothers out there, whom this movie largely forgets about (with some notable exceptions -- Gregory Hines, for example.)

And the frustration doesn't end there. Both Savannah and Robin manage to find themselves involved with the most shady characters (a married man and a dope fiend, respectively), yet they complain about the lack of good men out there. I suppose it would be silly to question just where they've been looking, even though it might hold the answer. The sad thing is that there are fellas out there who have little to no regard for women ("the scum of the f__king earth", to quote Savannah), and women who fall for fellas like that for the most silly, shallow reasons.

If it wasn't for Bassett, Devine, and Babyface's score, this movie would barely be watchable. As it is, it's a moderately entertaining diversion, albeit a frustrating one.