The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Touchstone Pictures
Not part of a collection.
The Preacher's Wife
They needed help. What they got was a miracle.
Good-natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived neighborhood they live in. On top of all this, his church is coming under threat from property developer Joe Hamilton. In desperation, Biggs prays to God for help – which arrives in the form of an angel named Dudley.
- Original title
- The Preacher's Wife
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $40,000,000
- Revenue
- $48,100,000
CinemaSerf
Jan 2, 2025 · via TMDB
No, no, no, no, no! What in the name of all that's holy convinced anyone that a remake of the delightfully charming "Bishop's Wife" (1947) ought to happen? Instead of that charmingly engaging story of a pre-occupied Bishop losing sight of what really mattered, we get this noisy and aggressive vehicle for Whitney Houston to prove she can shout her songs at us. She's married to the affable minister (Courtney B. Vance) whose church is facing an existential crisis. It's a lone beacon of hope in a deprived area of the city but it's also a prime site for redevelopment, and "Joe" (Gregory Hines) is determined to turn the steeple into a skyscraper. All this rearguard action is taking it's toll on his marriage though, so up pops "Dudley" (Denzel Washington) as the mischievous angel intent on helping this particular lost sheep. Thing is, the more he involves himself in the affairs of this couple the more he begins to fall for "Julia", she for him and nobody is really making any progress on the job in hand. The rest of this is faithful enough to the original but way too much of this is contrived to give it's singing star an opportunity to belt out "I Believe in You and Me" as well as a few more typically seasonal numbers. We all know she could sing, but this isn't singing. It's just showing off. She has a formidable vocal range but the deliveries here lack any kind of subtlety or delicacy. It's as if she was using her own voice instead of a wrecking ball to help out "Joe"! It's just completely class-free, charm-free and I don't think it need to have been made at all. Nobody's finest moments here, sorry.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Denzel Washington
Dudley
Whitney Houston
Julia Biggs
Courtney B. Vance
Reverend Henry Biggs
Gregory Hines
Joe Hamilton
Jenifer Lewis
Margueritte Coleman
Loretta Devine
Beverly
Paul Bates
Saul Jeffreys
Justin Pierre Edmund
Jeremiah Biggs
Lionel Richie
Britsloe
Victor Williams
Robbie
Shari Headley
Arlene Chattan
Marcella Lowery
Anna Eldridge
Cissy Houston
Mrs. Havergal
Charlotte d'Amboise
Debbie Paige
Helmar Augustus Cooper
Johnson Keeley
Jernard Burks
Pizza Man
Shyheim Franklin
Teen
Taral Hicks
Teen
Jamie Tirelli
Liquor Store Owner
Lizan Mitchell
Judge
David Langston Smyrl
Hanley's Waiter
Harsh Nayyar
Christmas Tree Man
Mervyn Warren
Pianist
Mary Bond Davis
Bernita
Marianne Hettinger
Robbery Witness (uncredited)
Anibal O. Lleras
Pizza Man (uncredited)
Adam Alexi-Malle
Robbery Witness (uncredited)
Derrick Simmons
Robber (uncredited)
Miroslav Ondříček
Director of Photography
Penny Marshall
Director
John Bard Manulis
Executive In Charge Of Production
Samuel Goldwyn Jr.
Producer
Hans Zimmer
Original Music Composer
Diane Warren
Songs
Robert E. Sherwood
Original Film Writer
Allan Scott
Screenplay
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Dec 13, 1996
