Waiting to Exhale

Whitney Houston Director: Forest Whitaker Forest Whitaker

Overview

Forest Whitaker's adaptation of Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Closed-captioned English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Surround, and a French soundtrack has also been recorded in Dolby Digital Surround. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include the original theatrical trailer. The film looks and sounds great, although 20th Century Fox could have done more with the extras on this release.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/06/2001
UPC:	0024543020165
Original Release:	1995
Rating:	R
Source:	20Th Century Fox
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Letterbox]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Time:	2:04:00
Sales rank:	21,324

Special Features

Closed Caption; Widescreen format (Aspect ratio: 1.85:1); Interactive menus; Scene selection; Original theatrical trailer ; Languages: English 5.1 surround; English Dolby® surround; French Dolby® surround; Subtitles: English; Spanish

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Whitney Houston	Savannah Jackson
Angela Bassett	Bernadine Harris
Loretta Devine	Gloria Johnson
Lela Rochon	Robin Stokes
Gregory Hines	Marvin
Dennis Haysbert	Kenneth
Mykelti Williamson	Troy
Michael Beach	John Sr.
Leon	Russell
Wendell Pierce	Michael
Donald Faison	Tarik
Brandon Hammond	John, Jr.
Lamont Johnson	Joseph
Wren T. Brown	Minister
Graham Galloway	Fireman
Starletta DuPois	Savannah's Mother
Ezra Swerdlow	Wild Bill
Giancarlo Esposito	Tarik's Father (uncredited)
Wesley Snipes	James (uncredited)
Jeffrey D. Sams	Lionel

Technical Credits

Ronald Bass

Terry McMillan

Forest Whitaker	Director
Ronald Bass	Executive Producer,Screenwriter
Jaki Brown-Karman	Casting
Tim Chau	Musical Direction/Supervision
Richard Chew	Editor
Kenneth Edmonds	Score Composer
Marc Fisichella	Art Director
Michael Foxworthy	Set Decoration/Design
Kirk R. Gardner	Camera Operator
David Gropman	Production Designer
Caron K	Associate Producer,Asst. Director
Toyomichi Kurita	Cinematographer
Terry McMillan	Executive Producer,Screenwriter
Joseph Ray	Asst. Director
Judy Ruskin	Costumes/Costume Designer
Deborah Schindler	Producer
Ezra Swerdlow	Producer

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Main Titles [2:47]
2. New Year's Eve [6:22]
3. Blind Date [3:40]
4. Word About Bernie and John [3:01]
5. Burning Trash [3:52]
6. Michae and Robin [7:30]
7. A Drink with Bernie [2:10]
8. David's Surprise [6:49]
9. Meeting Adjourned [1:55]
10. Caught in the Act [3:44]
11. Girl's Night Out [2:39]
12. Troy's Bad Habits [3:30]
13. Invitation to a Barbecue [1:46]
14. Russell Reappears [2:25]
15. Cutting Troy Loose [4:05]
16. Gloria's New Neighbor [:03]
17. James Wheeler [3:15]
18. Kenneth Comes Calling [5:49]
19. Sharing the Pain [6:27]
20. Gloria's Birthday [4:31]
21. Cautious About Kenneth [4:44]
22. Waiting on Russell [7:22]
23. Trust in the Lord [5:48]
24. Letter of Inspiration [2:11]
25. Savannah's Strength [3:36]
26. Closure [3:24]
27. Happy New Year [6:24]
28. End Credits [6:35]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Language Selection
      Languages: English Dolby® Surround
      Languages: English 5.1 Surround
      Languages: French Dolby® Surround
      Captions & Subtiles: English for the Hearing Impaired
      Captions & Subtitles: Spanish
      Captions & Subtitles: None
   Scene Selection
   Extra Features
      Theatrical Trailer
      The Cast
   Play Movie

Editorial Reviews

Fastidiously adapted from Terry McMillan's bestselling, award-winning novel, Waiting to Exhale is the quintessential African-American "chick flick." It revolves around four reasonably well-to-do southwestern suburbanites (Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon) afflicted with the same malady: an inexplicable inability to attract male partners willing to commit to long-term relationships. Exhale interweaves the stories of its quartet of protagonists as they unfold over a year's time. Pop diva Houston, not surprisingly, plays the film's most glamorous character, but her thesping is easily surpassed by that of Devine, whose earthy charm provides a welcome counterpoint to Whitney's theatricality. The meatiest role goes to Bassett, who displays considerable range under the direction of Forest Whitaker (Hope Floats). The male cast members, including Gregory Hines, Dennis Haysbert, Mykelti Williamson, and an unbilled Wesley Snipes, are equally effective, though not nearly as sympathetic. Whitaker disdains flashy narrative technique but painstakingly delineates his principal characters -- and makes us care about them. Attesting to the success of his approach was the subsequent appearance of several similarly themed imitations, none as popular (or as accomplished) as Waiting to Exhale.

Barnes & Noble - Kryssa Schemmerling

Squabbling sisters Vanessa L. Williams, Vivica A. Fox, and Nia Long supply dynamic performances to Soul Food, a heartwarming drama celebrating family values in the African-American community. At the film's emotional core is strong-willed Chicago matriarch Mother Joe (Irma P. Hall), whose extravagant Sunday dinners have been uniting family members for decades. But a long-simmering feud between oldest daughter Teri (Williams) and youngest daughter Bird (Long) flares up dramatically, threatening to split the clan apart. Then Mother Joe falls ill, and grandson Ahmad (Brandon Hammond) takes it upon himself to ease tensions by continuing the family tradition. First-time writer-director George Tillman Jr. juggles multiple subplots with admirable dexterity, and brings a wealth of keenly observed psychological detail to his characterizations of Mother Joe, the sisters, their respective spouses, and offspring. His facile manipulation of a multilayered story, coupled with the winning performances of a richly talented ensemble, makes Soul Food a particularly tasty dish. Tillman discusses the film in an audio commentary recorded for this Director's Edition DVD, which also includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and several music videos produced under the supervision of hip-hop impresario Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Forrest Whitaker's film version of Terry McMillan's best-seller about the romantic woes of four African-American women is an entertaining soap opera. Each of these middle- to upper-middle-class women (Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon, and Loretta Devine) have reason to bewail the quality of men they've been involved with, and here they give vent to their anger. Whitaker's film gives these women plenty of room to stretch out, some might say too much. The film has some wonderful moments, such as Bassett burning her rich husband's clothes when he dumps her, and some hilarious riffs on their various boyfriends' sexual peccadillos, but there are also swatches of banality that could easily have been cut. None of the relationships of the women are probed in depth, and, appropriately, most of the male characters exist only to illustrate a point. Among the few exceptions is Gregory Hines, who has a nice turn as a laid-back handyman who hooks up with Devine. Despite their problems with men, the film is really a backhanded tribute to both the independence and sustaining friendship of these four women.

All Movie Guide - Michael Costello