Cast:

Director: Forest Whitaker

Writer: Terry McMillan

Release date: 22 December 1995 (USA)

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Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 romance film. The movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by Terry McMillan.

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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.

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Whitney Houston’s Savanna, driving a silver Firebird, tools into Phoenix, Ariz., to start a new life.  Angela Bassett’s Bernadine lives in a sumptuous home with walk-in closets big enough in which to park that Pontiac. Lela Rochon’s Robin is a dressed-for-success career woman. Loretta Devine’s Gloria owns the hip beauty salon where her three friends come to prepare themselves for the quest that dominates this story–the search for Mr. Right.

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Savannah Jackson (Whitney Houston) is a television producer who holds on to the belief that one day her married lover will leave his wife for her.

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Bernadine Harris abandoned her own career and desires of having a catering business to raise a family. Her husband John calmly announces that he’s leaving her — for a white woman.  Furthermore, the wealthy John has been manipulating his finances, and leaves Bernadine virtually broke. But Bernie gets her revenge, in a rather “fiery” fashion.

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Robin Stokes is the long-time mistress of Russell.  After dumping him she has problems finding a decent man of her own.  Robin dates hordes of Mr. Wrongs before going back to Russell, who’s still married.

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Gloria Matthews is a beauty salon owner who gave up on finding a man years ago and concentrated instead being a single mother raising a teenage son. After years alone, it is she who finds love.  She falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin King.

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For these women, finding a man is secondary to one thing: their close love and affection for one another. And it is this bond that helps them get through the pain and heartache of their lives.

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The movie is notable for having an all-black cast. The success of the film proved that there is an audience for black movies. The LA Times called it a “social phenomenon”.

The original music score was composed by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.

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See the trailer:

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Trivia provided by The Internet Movie Database:

• Director Forest Whitaker was the unanimous first choice of the film’s producers and screenwriters.

• Houston’s role in the film bore a resemblance to the character she played in the music video to her single “Saving All My Love for You” – a woman having an affair with a married man.

• Forest Whitaker stated in an interview with Ebony Magazine that Robin Givens and Halle Berry were among the women who auditioned for the role of Robin. After casting Houston and Bassett, he decided to go with relative unknowns for the other two roles, and the role of Robin was subsequently given to Lela Rochon.

• Although Whitaker had earlier directed an HBO drama called Strapped (1993) for which he received Best New Director honors at the Toronto Film Festival this film was his first job directing a full-length feature film.

• The movie has been featured in the All Singing, All Dancing episode of The Simpsons, where the family were put on hold for it but were told “not to hold their breath”.

• The scene where Bernadine sets her husbands’ personal belongings and car on fire was referenced in an episode of The Steve Harvey Show. Lydia’s character becomes angry with “Bullethead” and throws his personal effects out of their shared locker. She is about to set them on fire with a lighter, and states “I’m about to go Angela Bassett and I don’t have any lighter fluid.”

• The songs “It Might Be You” (by Roberta Flack) and “I’m Gonna Make You My Wife” (by The Whispers) were both played in the movie, but were not included on the soundtrack.

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Kenneth pouring his heart out to little ol’ Savannah

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Goofs provided by The Internet Movie Database:

• Continuity: Gloria’s right earring appears and disappears during her conversation with her ex-husband about their son.

• Continuity: Vannah’s necklace is outside then inside then outside of her top at Glo’s birthday party.

• Continuity: When Bernie meets James Wheeler in the hotel bar, his hands keep changing their position on the bar between shots.

• Continuity: When Robin is in bed with Michael, she takes off her underwear and then when he goes to put the condom on, but a minute later her underwear is still on.

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Live at 39th Grammy awards. February 26th 1997. Whitney Houston, Brandy, CeCe Winans, Mary J Blige,  Aretha Franklin, Chaka Kahn.

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Memorable Quotes from the movie:

Gloria: Would you like to have dinner with us tonight? It’s just leftovers. Collard greens and corn bread, some candied yams, a little potato salad, fried chicken, peach cobbler and a few slices of ham.
Marvin: I would love to, but I’ve got so much to do around here. Maybe some other time.
Gloria: To be honest, I don’t have no business eating any of it as big as I am.
Marvin: My wife was a big woman too. I like a woman with some meat on her bones.
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Bernadine: The worst thing is that he made me move out here where my children are in school with only one other black kid so they won’t be improperly influenced. Well, guess what John, YOU’RE the motherfuckin’ improper influence! Get your shit! Get your shit! And, get out!
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Troy: You black bitches are all the same.
Robin: Bitch?
Troy: Y’all always complaining about how nobody don’t want your ass, don’t nobody know how to treat ya! Then you meet a man, a brother, with genuine interest in ya, and you gotta act simple. Then you wonder why we date white women.
Robin: A white woman can have your sorry ass!
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Bernadine: I give you 11 fucking years of my life and you’re telling me you’re leaving me for a white woman?
John Sr.: Would it help if she was black?
Bernadine: No. It would help if you were black.
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Gloria: Your father’s coming home on Tuesday.
Tarik: And? First of all, he ain’t my father, he’s my daddy; there’s a big damn difference.

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All four actresses on interview on Oprah

Buy the movie:  USA CAN UK FRA DEU AUT