Waiting to Exhale Information

Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 American romantic drama film directed by Forest Whitaker (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The film was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Beach, Gregory Hines, Donald Faison, and Mykelti Williamson rounded out the rest of the cast. The original music score was composed by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The story centers on four female friends living in the Phoenix, Arizona 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.

The film is notable for having an all-African American cast. The Los Angeles Times called it a "social phenomenon".

Plot

Waiting to Exhale is a story about four African-American women — Savannah, Robin, Bernie, and Gloria — who go through different stages of love and life. Savannah "Vannah" Jackson is a successful television producer who holds on to the belief that one day her married lover will leave his wife for her. Bernadine "Bernie" Harris, abandons her own career dreams and desire of having a catering business to raise a family, and support her husband, who leaves her for a white woman. Robin Stokes is a high-powered executive and the long-time mistress of married Russell, who has problems finding a decent man of her own after dumping him. Gloria "Glo" Matthews is a beauty salon owner and single mother. After years alone, and finding out that her ex-husband who is also the father of her son, has come out of the closet as gay, she falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin King. The four friends get together to provide support, listen to each other vent about life and love, and have fun, as they go through life's trials and tribulations. Savannah ends up dumping her married lover for good. Bernadine gets a big divorce settlement from her ex-husband. Robin ends up pregnant by her married lover, but dumps him and decides to raise the baby on her own. Gloria lets her son go on the "Up With People" trip to Spain and apologizes to her neighbor for snapping at him when he suggested that she should let her son grow up and experience the world.

Cast

• Whitney Houston as Savannah "Vannah" Jackson, a successful television producer who holds on to the belief that one day her married lover will leave his wife for her.
• Angela Bassett as Bernadine "Bernie" Harris; having abandoned her career and dreams of a catering business to raise a family, she finds her husband is leaving her for a white woman. Savannah and Bernadine have been best friends since college.
• Lela Rochon as Robin Stokes, a high-powered executive and the long-time mistress of Russell. After dumping him, she has problems finding a decent man of her own.
• Loretta Devine as Gloria "Glo" Matthews, a beauty salon owner and single mother. After years alone and finding out that her ex-husband who is also the father of her son has come out of the closet as gay, she falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin King.
• Gregory Hines as Marvin King
• Dennis Haysbert as Kenneth Dawkins, Savannah's married lover
• Mykelti Williamson as Troy
• Michael Beach as John Harris, Sr., Bernie's husband who leaves her for a white woman
• Giancarlo Esposito (uncredited) as David Matthews, Gloria's ex-husband and father of Tarik; he comes out as gay
• Donald Faison as Tarik Matthews, Gloria's teenage son who is preparing to leave home and travel the world with Up with People
• Leon as Russell
• Wendell Pierce as Michael Davenport
• Jeffrey D. Sams as Lionel
• Jazz Raycole as Onika Harris
• Brandon Hammond as John Harris, Jr.
• Kenya Moore as Denise
• Kelly Preston (uncredited) as Kathleen
• Wesley Snipes (uncredited) as James Wheeler

Reception and box office

Waiting to Exhale was a financial success, opening at number-one at the North American box office, grossing $14.1 million in its first weekend of release. In total, the film grossed $67.05 million in North America, and $14.4 internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $81.45 million. Its widest release was in just over 1,400 theatres and was the 26th highest-grossing film of 1995.

Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from critics. Film critic, Susan Stark from The Detroit News stated, "For all the pleasure there is in seeing effective, great-looking black women grappling with major life issues on screen, Waiting to Exhale is an uneven piece." Reviewer, Liam Lacey, from The Daily Globe and Mail said of the film, "[It] never escapes the queasy aura of Melrose Place: just another story about naive people with small problems." However, film critic, Roger Ebert positively reviewed the film, stating that it is "an escapist fantasy that women in the audience can enjoy by musing, 'I wish I had her problems' - and her car, house, wardrobe, figure and men, even wrong men." Nevertheless, the film received a "Rotten" rating from the film aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes with a rating of 52% based on 25 reviews.

In the book Is Marriage for White People?, Ralph Richard Banks, a writer and Stanford Law School professor, states that the film is a perfect example of the problems African-American women have in finding serious relationships.

Soundtrack

Full article: Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album

The soundtrack to the film featured many female African American artists. The soundtrack included the number-one hit song "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", sung by Whitney Houston, as well as "Not Gon' Cry" by Mary J. Blige, "Sittin' Up in My Room" by Brandy, and "Count on Me" by Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans, all of which reached the top ten of Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

Sequel

Interviewed in the spring of 2011 on an episode of The Talk, Angela Bassett confirmed that a sequel was in the planning stages, with all the female principals signed on to star, and Whitaker returning to direct. The film would be based on McMillan's 2010 follow-up novel, Getting to Happy; McMillan was adapting the book to screenplay as well. As of July 2012, no news has come of the sequel, and after Houston's death in February 2012, it is unknown whether the role of Savannah Jackson will be recast.

Accolades

• 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

• MTV Movie Awards
  • Best Female Breakthrough Performance: (Lela Rochon) Nominated
  • Best Song from a Movie:
    • Brandy - "Sittin' Up in My Room"