Ben Larson
Taking nothing away from Cary Grant and David Niven, as The Bishop's Wife is one of my favorite films - a film that I can watch over and over - this film is a worthy successor.The music is incomparable, of course. Nothing matches Whitney Houston. That alone makes the film a must see.And, Denzel Washington. What can I say, He is fantastic in everything he does, and the chance to see him play an angel is a real treat. It reminds me of Devil in the Blue Dress or The Mighty Quinn . Those two films showed a different side to Denzel and this film is in that vein.With Courtney B. Vance, Gregory Hines, Loretta Devine, Lionel Richie,and Whitney's mother Cissy Houston, this was an enjoyable film about faith and hope and love, with magnificent singing by Whitney.
kyle-cruse
There is no reason to be hard on this film. An overall rating of 5.2 is very low, in my opinion, and there is little to dislike about "The Preacher's Wife." It's a fairly simple story involving Dudley (Denzel Washington), an angel sent to earth to assist a pastor's marriage during Christmas time. One reason I liked this film is because few romantic comedies in recent years have been clean enough to watch with the entire family. There is almost nothing objectionable here, just a few brief, very mild swear words that have no bearing on the film. It's a decently funny film as well. I had to laugh at Dudley finding an image of a Windows computer screen in his angel handbook. The wisecracking grandmother was also a beneficial addition to the movie. Take her comment "We're gonna play Monopoly, with real money." There are still a few things that could have been improved on. The plot twist involving Dudley falling in love with Whitney Houston could have been played up more and was not nearly as funny as it had the potential to be. Also, the chemistry between the main couple is not super good, and the film lacks the romance necessary to make this a great rom-com. Nevertheless, it's enjoyable and doesn't deserve any harsh comments.Note: Because of the abundance of Christmas-related content, it's best to watch this around Christmas time, or you may feel slightly embarrassed.*** out of ****
davegering
Let me state up front that I am a fan of both Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston. I am not, however, a fan of this movie.The script is a complete mess; this movie doesn't know what it wants to be or wants to do. None of the leads is particularly credible in his or her roles. The story is not funny enough to be a comedy, nor compelling enough to be a drama. Another problem, and a big one, is the constant lead-ins to Whitney Houston musical numbers that don't really fit the story.I didn't find this movie very entertaining, and frankly, there were a couple of times I surfed away looking for something better.
moonspinner55
Not being a fan of Henry Koster's misguided, overrated Christmas romance "The Bishop's Wife" from 1947--and not exactly being an admirer of Whitney Houston's acting abilities (I walked out on "The Bodyguard" and passed on "Waiting to Exhale")--I was surprised to find this all-black remake directed by Penny Marshall an improvement over the original, one featuring a fine performance by the famous singer. A handsome angel comes to Earth to help a beleaguered minister and befriends his lonely spouse who's in charge of the church choir. With a solid cast at her disposal, Marshall, preserving the Christmas theme, mostly receives the jubilant results she was aiming for, though her too-obvious love of sentimentality coats the picture with a heavy whimsy (a lighter touch might have avoided this). Houston is appealing and effortless on the screen--she's a natural, making her scenes flow with ease. Washington and Vance are also good, though, in a switch from the '47 version, the male roles are far less interesting.
AD
