MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 471 this week

The Preacher's Wife (1996)

5.1
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 5.1/10 from 6,479 users  
Reviews: 44 user | 34 critic

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:

Writers:

(novel), (earlier screenplay), 3 more credits »
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 3627 titles created 1 month ago
 
a list of 2000 titles created 5 months ago
 
a list of 4252 titles created 21 May 2012
 
a list of 2461 titles created 7 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Preacher's Wife (1996)

The Preacher's Wife (1996) on IMDb 5.1/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Preacher's Wife.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Big (1988)
Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

When a boy wishes to be big at a magic wish machine, he wakes up the next morning and finds himself in an adult body literally overnight.

Director: Penny Marshall
Stars: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia
Comedy | Drama | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.2/10 X  

When a man inadvertantly kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.

Director: John Pasquin
Stars: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

A fast-lane investment broker, offered the opportunity to see how the other half lives, wakes up to find that his sports car and girlfriend have become a mini-van and wife.

Director: Brett Ratner
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

The "real" story of Cinderella. A refreshing new take on the classic fairy tale.

Director: Andy Tennant
Stars: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott
Shallow Hal (2001)
Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X  

A shallow man falls in love with a 300 pound woman because of her "inner beauty".

Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Jason Alexander
My Girl (1991)
Drama | Family | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

Vada Sultenfuss is obsessed with death. Her mother is dead, and her father runs a funeral parlor. She is also in love with her English teacher, and joins a poetry class over the summer just... See full summary »

Director: Howard Zieff
Stars: Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin
Groundhog Day (1993)
Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1/10 X  

A weatherman finds himself living the same day over and over again.

Director: Harold Ramis
Stars: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
Jack Frost (1998)
Comedy | Drama | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4.9/10 X  

A father, who can't keep his promises, dies in a car accident. One year later, he returns as a snowman, who has the final chance to put things right with his son before he is gone forever.

Director: Troy Miller
Stars: Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston, Joseph Cross
Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death.

Director: Marc Forster
Stars: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah
Marley & Me (2008)
Comedy | Drama | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A family learns important life lessons from their adorable, but naughty and neurotic dog.

Director: David Frankel
Stars: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane
Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of the movie star, John Malkovich.

Director: Spike Jonze
Stars: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener
My Girl 2 (1994)
Comedy | Drama | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4.8/10 X  

Vada Sultenfuss has a holiday coming up, and an assignment: to do an essay on someone she admires and has never met. She decides she wants to do an assignment on her mother, but quickly ... See full summary »

Director: Howard Zieff
Stars: Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anna Chlumsky
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Paul Bates ...
Saul Jeffreys
Lex Monson ...
Osbert
Darvel Davis Jr. ...
Hakim
William James Stiggers Jr. ...
Billy Eldridge
Marcella Lowery ...
Anna Eldridge
...
Mrs. Havergal
Aaron A. McConnaughey ...
Edit

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... Written by Jonathan Broxton <j.w.broxton@sheffield.ac.uk>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

angel | church | marriage | reverend | gospel | See more »

Taglines:

They needed help. What they got was a miracle.


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild language | See all certifications »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

13 December 1996 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Ask melegi  »

Filming Locations:

 »

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

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

A grip was hit by a car and killed while crossing the street during production in Yonkers, New York. See more »

Quotes

Jeremiah Biggs: Just because you can't see the air doesn't keep you from breathing. And just because you can't see God doesn't keep you from believing.
See more »

Connections

Remake of Robert Montgomery Presents: The Bishop's Wife (1951) See more »

Soundtracks

"Somebody Bigger Than Tou And Me"
Performed by Whitney Houston
Courtesy by Arista Records
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

A pale remake of a minor Christmas classic
30 June 2001 | by (Philadelphia, PA) – See all my reviews

You have to wonder why some folks out in Hollywood try to remake that which was done so very well the first time. You can just see them sitting around the conference table talking about adding color and, oh, yeah, lets make the characters black! It would be OK if they really tried to do it better. But they are really just trying to cash in.

Such is the case with "The Preacher's Wife". A modernized color version of the Cary Grant vehicle, "The Bishop's Wife", the insertion of even this excellent black cast does nothing to enhance the story.

Denzel never seems to capture the sly charm of Dudley, the angel sent to help the Preacher. Now we know Denzel can be a charmer, but even he cannot deliver through this tired direction and uninspired script. Nothing really works in the movie (unless, perhaps, you never saw the original), the Preacher is not sympathetic enough, Whitney isn't at full strength as the title character, and even Gregory Hines can't seem to make the villain seem like much of a baddie.

A thorough waste of time and celluloid!


15 of 23 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
song Breannav10
Does anyone know the song playing when.... ???? kristinaperlita
Jermiah Biggs nmotton
jsut saw it on tv mattthemop
Charming! lenscap1
Where is the movie taken place? styleandgrace88
Discuss The Preacher's Wife (1996) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?