Cast:

Director: Penny Marshall

Writers: Robert Nathan (the novel), Robert E. Sherwood, Leonardo Bercovici, Nat Mauldin, Allan Scott

Release date: 13 December 1996

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Buy the movie:  USA CAN UK FRA DEU AUT

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They needed help. What they got was a miracle – and help arrives in the form of an angel named Dudley. However, Dudley’s arrival seems to cause even more trouble…

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“The Preacher’s Wife” has several engaging subplots, but is primarily about an angel (Denzel Washington) who is sent to help a preacher, his family, and their struggling inner-city church. Good natured Reverend Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance) 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, Rev.  The pastor is losing his religious vision and energy, and for good reason! He is “doing it all.” He serves everyone but his wife and child.

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Biggs prays to God for help and God’s angel Dudley is sent to the married couple.

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The angel’s main assignment seems to be that of helping the pastor to re-prioritize his home life and ministry, but he is diverted by his desire to give the preacher’s wife (Whitney Houston) the attention and encouragement she desperately lacks. Adding tension to the whole situation is a businessman who plans to commercially develop the church property and surrounding neighborhood.

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After saving an innocent youth from jail time, the preacher takes a stand against the developer. His energy is rekindled, but his “do it all” style has not changed …and his wife draws ever-closer to the angel.

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While never blatently overstepping the boundaries of good taste, the story does center heavily on the romantic attraction of the angel to the preacher’s wife. The angel (a deceased human rather than a created being) has many human traits and desires, muddling somewhat his “assignment” with the preacher and his wife. In the end, however, things work out right and most viewers can be seen smiling or crying.

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Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

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See the trailer:

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Memorable quotes provided by The Internet Movie Database:

Dudley: “You have no idea what the competition is like just to be sent down here.”

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Julia Biggs: “Your mother would always tell me, “Girl, you need to get some meat on those bones. Henry ain’t got nothing to grab on to back there!”"
Rev. Henry Biggs: “She just wanted you to eat, that’s all.”
Julia Biggs: “No, she probably wanted me to be as fat as her.”
Rev. Henry Biggs: “She wasn’t that fat.”
Julia Biggs: “Please, if a policeman saw your mama come walking down the street, he’d yell, “break it up!”

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Marguerite Coleman: “Things haven’t changed since Adam, and he gave up one of his ribs so he’d have somebody to keep things from.”

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Jeremiah Biggs: “Just because you can’t see the air doesn’t keep you from breathing. And just because you can’t see God doesn’t keep you from believing.”

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Julia Biggs: “It’s okay if I look in the window, just as long as I don’t buy.”
Marguerite Coleman: “Yeah? Well, don’t go shopping with money in your pocket! And you better not be putting anything in the layaway plan, either!”

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Marguerite Coleman: (after seeing one of Hamilton’s commercials on television) “That man is so oily, you could fry chicken on his smile.”

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Whitney Houston promoting “The Preacher’s Wife” on the Rosie Odonnel Show in 1996

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Whitney doing an ET interview

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Buy the movie:  USA CAN UK FRA DEU AUT