Sign In / Sign Up

The Preacher's Wife

The Preacher's Wife
Release date: 1996-12-13
Rating: 5.8
Votes: 237
Genres: Family, Fantasy, Drama, Comedy, Romance
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.

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

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.

Movie Recommendation

  • License to Kill
    License to Kill
    1986-12-16
    A grieving family whose daughter was killed in a car crash with a drunken driver is outraged and frustrated as they encounter the inevitable bureaucratic delays in bringing the case to trial. Once in the courtroom, they are horror-stricken as the young, hard-pressed district attorney seems unable to overcome the technicalities and maneuverings that the driver's attorney uses to keep his client out of jail and still on the streets as a legal driver. When the judge is forced to rule time and again in favor of the defense, it appears that the driver might escape punishment altogether.
    More...
  • Black Nativity
    Black Nativity
    2013-11-27
    A street-wise teen from Baltimore who has been raised by a single mother travels to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives, where he embarks on a surprising and inspirational journey.
    More...
  • I Think I Love My Wife
    I Think I Love My Wife
    2007-03-07
    Richard Cooper is a married man and father of two who is just plain bored with married life. Not getting any sex from his wife, he resorts to ogling random women on the street to the point that he takes lunch late to look at them. When old crush Nikki Tru visits his office to get a reference letter, she becomes obsessed with Cooper and they begin a complicated relationship.
    More...
  • The Cookout
    The Cookout
    2004-09-03
    When Todd Anderson signs a $30 million deal with his hometown team, the New Jersey Nets, he knows that his life is set for a big change. To keep things real, he decides to throw a barbeque at his place -- just like the ones his family used to have. But when you have new and old friends, family, agents, and product reps in the same house, things are bound to get crazy.
    More...
  • Die Informantin - Der Fall Lissabon
    Die Informantin - Der Fall Lissabon
    2019-04-13
    After the success of the first film "Die Informantin", which delighted over 5.5 million viewers, the story of the undercover law student Aylin is now being told. She actually doesn't want anything to do with the LKA. But she has no choice. In "Der Fall Lissabon" she has to spy on a star lawyer who launders money for terrorist cells. Should she refuse, the life of her sister and that of her niece is threatened. Crime scene inspector Aylin Tezel embodies a brave young woman who gets caught between the fronts and can only rely on her instinct.
    More...
  • The Bishop's Wife
    The Bishop's Wife
    1947-12-25
    An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham, has been working for months on the plans for an elaborate new cathedral which he hopes will be paid for primarily by a wealthy, stubborn widow. He is losing sight of his family and of why he became a churchman in the first place. Enter Dudley, an angel sent to help him. Dudley does help everyone he meets, but not necessarily in the way they would have preferred. With the exception of Henry, everyone loves him, but Henry begins to believe that Dudley is there to replace him, both at work and in his family's affections, as Christmas approaches.
    More...
  • Courage Under Fire
    Courage Under Fire
    1996-07-04
    A US Army officer, who made a "friendly fire" mistake that was covered up, has been reassigned to a desk job. He is tasked to investigate a female chopper commander's worthiness to be awarded the Medal of Honor. At first all seems in order. But then he begins to notice inconsistencies between the testimonies of the witnesses...
    More...
  • Chances Are
    Chances Are
    1989-03-10
    Louie Jeffries is happily married to Corinne. On their first anniversary, Louie is killed crossing the road. Louie is reincarnated as Alex Finch, and twenty years later, fate brings Alex and Louie's daughter, Miranda, together. It's not until Alex is invited to Louie's home that he begins to remember his former life, wife and best friend. Of course, there's also the problem that he's attracted to Louie's/his own daughter.
    More...
  • Devil in a Blue Dress
    Devil in a Blue Dress
    1995-09-29
    In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright, a mysterious white man looking for someone to investigate the disappearance of a missing white woman named Daphne Monet, who he suspects is hiding out in one of the city's black jazz clubs. Strapped for money and facing house payments, Easy takes the job, but soon finds himself in over his head.
    More...
  • Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
    Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
    1997-03-18
    The joke's on absent-minded scientist Wayne Szalinski when his troublesome invention shrinks him, his brother and their wives so effectively that their children think they've completely disappeared. Of course, this gives the kids free rein to do anything they want, unaware that their parents are watching every move.
    More...
  • Chasing Mavericks
    Chasing Mavericks
    2012-10-25
    Surfer Jay Moriarity sets out to ride the Northern California break known as Mavericks.
    More...
  • The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
    The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
    2015-02-26
    As the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has only a single remaining vacancy - posing a rooming predicament for two fresh arrivals - Sonny pursues his expansionist dream of opening a second hotel.
    More...
  • The Postman
    The Postman
    1997-12-25
    In 2013, there are no highways, no I-ways, no dreams of a better tomorrow, only scattered survivors across what was once the United States. Into this apocalyptic wasteland comes an enigmatic drifter with a mule, a knack for Shakespeare, and something yet undiscovered: the power to inspire hope.
    More...
  • Facing the Giants
    Facing the Giants
    2006-09-29
    A losing coach with an underdog football team faces their giants of fear and failure on and off the field to surprising results.
    More...
  • Remember the Titans
    Remember the Titans
    2000-09-29
    After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
    More...
  • Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God
    Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God
    2009-09-23
    A recap of Death Note episodes 1–26, with new footage. When rogue shinigami Ryuk leaves his Death Note in the human world, he has no idea how far the one who finds it will take his new-found power. With the Death Note in hand, brilliant high school student Light Yagami vows to rid the world of evil.
    More...
  • Shut In
    Shut In
    2022-03-24
    A young single mother is held captive along with her two children by a violent ex and must plot their escape before it’s too late.
    More...
  • Act of Valor
    Act of Valor
    2012-02-24
    When a covert mission to rescue a kidnapped CIA operative uncovers a chilling plot, an elite, highly trained U.S. SEAL team speeds to hotspots around the globe, racing against the clock to stop a deadly terrorist attack.
    More...
  • Selena
    Selena
    1997-03-21
    In this biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young daughter is talented and begins performing with her at small venues. She finds success and falls for her guitarist, Chris Perez, who draws the ire of her father. Seeking mainstream stardom, Selena begins recording an English-language album which, tragically, she would never complete.
    More...
  • The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
    The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
    2009-06-10
    Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.
    More...

Similar Movies