The Preacher's Wife (1996)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Penny Marshall

Writers:

Robert Nathan (novel), Robert E. Sherwood (earlier screenplay),

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, Courtney B. Vance

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Dudley
Whitney Houston	...	Julia Biggs
Courtney B. Vance	...	Reverend Henry Biggs
Gregory Hines	...	Joe Hamilton
Jenifer Lewis	...	Margueritte Coleman
Loretta Devine	...	Beverly
Justin Pierre Edmund	...	Jeremiah Biggs
Lionel Richie	...	Britsloe
Paul Bates	...	Saul Jeffreys
Lex Monson	...	Osbert
Darvel Davis Jr.	...	Hakim
William James Stiggers Jr.	...	Billy Eldridge
Marcella Lowery	...	Anna Eldridge
Cissy Houston	...	Mrs. Havergal
Aaron A. McConnaughey	...	Teen

Storyline

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, Rev. Biggs prays to God for help - 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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Plot Keywords:

angel | church | marriage | reverend | gospel | 

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Taglines:

They needed help. What they got was a miracle.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ask melegi

Filming Locations:

Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

JPY 54,112,300 (Japan) (20 December 1996)

Gross:

$48,093,211 (USA) (18 April 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mundy Lane Entertainment, Parkway Productions, Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Whitney Houston originally turned down her role because she felt that she could not relate to her character. She admitted that in real life she was not attracted to nice men like Reverend Biggs. She also felt that she would be uncomfortable dressed as a middle-class housewife. She eventually was able to relate to Julia's love for her family and church.

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Quotes

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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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Brawl in the Family (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Joy"
Performed by Whitney Houston with the Georgia Mass Choir
Courtesy by Arista Records

User Reviews

Pretty good, enjoyable

There is no reason to be hard on this film. An overall rating of 5.2 is very low, in my opinion, and there is little to dislike about "The Preacher's Wife." It's a fairly simple story involving Dudley (Denzel Washington), an angel sent to earth to assist a pastor's marriage during Christmas time. One reason I liked this film is because few romantic comedies in recent years have been clean enough to watch with the entire family. There is almost nothing objectionable here, just a few brief, very mild swear words that have no bearing on the film. It's a decently funny film as well. I had to laugh at Dudley finding an image of a Windows computer screen in his angel handbook. The wisecracking grandmother was also a beneficial addition to the movie. Take her comment "We're gonna play Monopoly, with real money." There are still a few things that could have been improved on. The plot twist involving Dudley falling in love with Whitney Houston could have been played up more and was not nearly as funny as it had the potential to be. Also, the chemistry between the main couple is not super good, and the film lacks the romance necessary to make this a great rom-com. Nevertheless, it's enjoyable and doesn't deserve any harsh comments.

Note: Because of the abundance of Christmas-related content, it's best to watch this around Christmas time, or you may feel slightly embarrassed.

*** out of ****