Waiting to Exhale

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Waiting to Exhale

Directed by	Forest Whitaker
Produced by	Ronald Bass Terry McMillan Deborah Schindler Ezra Swerdlow
Written by	Terry McMillan (book) Terry McMillan (teleplay) Ronald Bass (teleplay)
Starring	Whitney Houston Angela Bassett Loretta Devine Lela Rochon
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	December 22, 1995 (USA)
Running time	127 min.
Language	English
Budget	$15,000,000
IMDb profile

Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 movie starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett and directed by Forest Whitaker. The movie was adapted from the novel of the same name by Terry McMillan and also stars Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon. The story centers on four female friends and their relationships with men.

1 Plot summary
- 1.1 Soundtrack
2 Cast
3 Awards/Nominations
4 Trivia
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Waiting to Exhale centers on four women and their relationships with men and one another. All of them are "holding their breath" until the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship with a man.

Savannah (Whitney Houston) is a successful television producer who holds on to the belief that one day her married lover (Dennis Haysbert) will leave his wife for her. Bernadine (Angela Bassett) abandoned her own career to raise a family. Her husband is now leaving her for another woman. Robin (Lela Rochon) is the long-time mistress of Russell (Leon Robinson). After dumping him she has problems finding a decent man of her own. Gloria (Loretta Devine) is a beauty salon owner and single mother raising a teenage son. After years alone, she falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin (Gregory Hines).

[edit] Soundtrack

Full article: Waiting to Exhale (soundtrack)

The soundtrack to the film featured many African-American female artists. The #1 hit song "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", sung by Whitney Houston, is on the soundtrack to this film, as well as the Top 10 singles "Not Gon' Cry" by Mary J. Blige, "Sittin Up In My Room" by Brandy, and "Count On Me" by Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans.

[edit] Cast

Angela Bassett

Whitney Houston as Savannah 'Vannah' Jackson
Angela Bassett as Bernadine 'Bernie' Harris
Loretta Devine as Gloria 'Glo' Peaches
Lela Rochon as Robin Stokes
Gregory Hines as Marvin King
Dennis Haysbert as Kenneth Dawkins
Mykelti Williamson as Troy
Michael Beach as John Harris, Sr.
Leon as Russell
Wendell Pierce as Michael Davenport
Donald Faison as Tarik Matthews
Jeffrey D. Sams as Lionel
Jazz Raycole as Onika Harris
Brandon Hammond as John Harris, Jr.
Kenya Moore as Denise

[edit] Awards/Nominations

Image Awards
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture:
  - (Angela Bassett) Winner
  - (Whitney Houston) Nominated
- Outstanding Soundtrack: Winner
- Outstanding Motion Picture: Winner
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture: (Gregory Hines) Nominated
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture:
  - (Loretta Devine) Winner
  - (Lela Rochon) Nominated

MTV Movie Awards
- Best Female Breakthrough Performance: (Lela Rochon) Nominated
- Best Song From a Movie:
  - Brandy-"Sittin' Up In My Room" Winner
  - Whitney Houston-"Shoop Shoop" Nominated

[edit] Trivia

Director Forest Whitaker was the unanimous first choice of the film's producers and screenwriters.

Houston's role in the film bore a resemblance to the character she played in the music video to her single "Saving All My Love For You" - a woman having an affair with a married man.

Although Whitaker had earlier directed an HBO drama called Strapped (1993) --for which he received Best New Director honors at the Toronto Film Festival-- this film was his first job directing a full-length feature film.

Forest Whitaker stated in an interview with Ebony Magazine that Robin Givens and Halle Berry were among the women who auditioned for the role of Robin. After casting Houston and Bassett, he decided to go with relative unknowns for the other two roles, and the role of Robin was subsequently given to Lela Rochon.

The movie has been featured in two episodes of The Simpsons: All Singing, All Dancing, where the family were put on hold for it but were told "not to hold their breath", and E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt), where it was mentioned in conversation.