The Preacher's Wife (1996)

The Worst Film Ever

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

how can anyone say this movie is boring?? I recently saw this on a few reviews... what a shame because this is a positive movie an only a silly person who is extremely negative may think its boring. maybe because I'm a softie for positive movies.... Mr. Washington what a pretty fine job on his role in this film, the whole cast was pretty neat,especially the mother in law an little Jeremiah... (love his name, BTW)Overall great film, very positive an enlightening... there was several funny lines an jokes. I was laughing quite a bit throughout this movie. great family movie. thumbs up Whitney Houston, Courtney Vince an the fab Mr. Washington!

As a rule I don't tend to warm to remakes of classic films however the Penny Marshall directed Christmas story "The Preacher's Wife", is a definite exception and has become one of my favourite festive season viewing experiences. Based on the classic Samuel Goldwyn film "The Bishop's Wife", which starred legends Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven, this 1996 effort has a charm and slant on the essentially same story all its own. Denzel Washington in the role of an angel sent down to earth to sort out the life of a preacher who has lost sight of what really is important, is a most worthy successor to Cary Grant in the original film and Whitney Houston in the female lead displays a warm screen presence and great musical talent that couldn't be bettered in this type of story. Amazingly I only saw this film for the first time 3 years ago but it has become a firm favourite of mine ever since. Combining a traditional and much loved Christmas tale with some truly wonderful gospel singing gives this effort a really upbeat feel which however never sacrifices for one minute the more touching aspects of the story.A truly inspirational and touching story filled with some beautiful music and comic pieces is the best way to describe this beautiful little movie. I love all three lead performances here and it's a joy to see Denzel Washington, normally the star of some intensely dramatic films, in such a charming and light hearted role as Dudley. He displays a fine comic talent and teams especially well with the other two leads. If ever there was a proper successor to Cary Grant in this role then Denzel Washington is it. Whitney Houston does very well in the role of Julia and she displays a nicely touching persona especially in her scenes with her screen son. She of course comes alive in the musical numbers many of which she produced herself. I've become a big fan of gospel music after her terrific rendition of such numbers as,"Step by Step", and especially the show stopping "I believe in you and me". Courtney Vance playing the earlier David Niven role of Henry is also excellent and his performance contains a lot of the dramatic meat of the story as the essentially kind hearted preacher who is torn too many ways and sees himself loosing his family. His work with Denzel Washington in particular is note worthy especially in the scenes when he can't seem to understand just "where", this mysterious helper has suddenly come from. Other standouts in the cast are Loretta Devine as Julia's mother in a very funny performance full of great lines and wry observations about what is happening in the Biggs household, and Gregory Hines as sharp business man Joe Hamilton who in turn is also affected by Dudley's presence in his previously rather shallow life. The look and feel of "The Preacher's Wife", makes it a wonderful newer Christmas viewing experience and much of the credit goes to the church scenes with the St. Matthew's choir taking centre stage. Their singing and expert handling of all the gospel music is perfect and really gets you into the feel of the season.As a "modern", Christmas story I personally feel "The Preacher's Wife", is a most worthy successor to the well known and greatly loved earlier classics like "White Christmas", and "Miracle on 34th Street". Taking a very different slant on the story than the earlier 'The Bishop's Wife", it manages to be wholly original in its own way and makes delightful seasonal viewing. Try and see this touching film next Christmas and I'm sure it will become a treasured part of your holiday viewing like it is in my home.danceability-1, Amsterdam Holland

Maybe I am one of the few people on this message board that actually liked this movie. I thought it was great. It was a charming story about the power of miracles and the fact that angels do really exist. (Of course, we wish they all looked like Denzel Washington, but they do exist!) This is my favorite type of a story because so many people these days forget about the miracles every day. I mean, here comes Dudley, an angel, from heaven sent to help out a family that was about to come apart. Maybe some people don't believe that is possible, but I certainly do. The performances were amazing and we get to hear Whitney Houston's beautiful voice. Give this movie a shot!

Can you say love triangle? Except one of the parties is an angel. And he can't do anything about it. This is a touching story, one of my favorite Denzel Washington films. He plays an angel sent to help sort out a ministering couple and their church - and marriage - woes. But in the meanwhile, he falls in love with the preacher's wife (Whitney Houston). What follows is a feel-good story with just enough action to keep the story moving. My favorite part, however, was the vocal performance, and of course Whitney Houston shines. The odd thing was, I first heard of this movie because of the anthem they sang - it was released as an octavo, and our choir director got it for our sanctuary choir. That led me to check out the movie. It was well worth the effort. While films like "The Bodyguard" showcase Houston's pop talent, "The Preacher's Wife" gives us the privilege of a taste of her gift for sacred music. No wonder the angel fell in love. She has the beauty and talent to rank with the angels. The really cool part is you spend the whole movie wondering if he will act on that love or be a good angel and not interfere. In the meanwhile, he gets to help a lot of people. I strongly recommend this movie.