Taglines: Friends are the people who let you be yourself… and never let you forget it.
Waiting to Exhale movie storyline. This story based on the best selling novel by Terry McMillan follows the lives of four African-American women as they try to deal with their very lives. Friendship becomes the strongest bond between these women as men, careers, and families take them in different directions. Often light-hearted this movie speaks about some of the problems and struggles the modern women face in today’s world.
Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 American romance film directed by Forest Whitaker (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The film was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. Lela Rochon, Loretta Devine, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Beach, Gregory Hines, Donald Faison, and Mykelti Williamson rounded out the rest of the cast. The original music score was composed by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.
The story centers on four female friends living in the Phoenix, Arizona area 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.
Cast and Characters
Whitney Houston as Savannah “Vannah” Jackson, a successful television producer who holds on to the belief that one day her married lover will leave his wife for her.
Angela Bassett as Bernadine “Bernie” Harris; having abandoned her career and dreams of a catering business to raise a family, she finds her husband is leaving her for a white woman. Savannah and Bernadine have been best friends since college. She vents her anger out on John by burning his clothes and car and selling the remainder of his personal items for $1.
Lela Rochon as Robin Stokes, a high-powered executive and the long-time mistress of Russell. After dumping him, she has problems finding a decent man of her own.
Loretta Devine as Gloria “Glo” Matthews, a beauty salon owner and single mother. After years alone and finding out that her ex-husband who is also the father of her son has come out of the closet as gay, she falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin King.
Gregory Hines as Marvin King
Dennis Haysbert as Kenneth Dawkins, Savannah’s married lover
Mykelti Williamson as Troy
Michael Beach as John Harris Sr., Bernie’s husband who leaves her for a white woman
Giancarlo Esposito as David Matthews, Gloria’s ex-husband and father of Tarik; he comes out as gay
Donald Faison as Tarik Matthews, Gloria’s teenage son who is preparing to leave home and travel the world with Up with People
Leon as Russell
Wendell Pierce as Michael Davenport
Jeffrey D. Sams as Lionel
Kenya Moore as Denise
Kelly Preston (uncredited) as Kathleen
Waiting to Exhale (1995)
Directed by: Forest Whitaker
Starring: Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, Gregory Hines, Dennis Haysbert, Mykelti Williamson, Kenya Moore, Kelly Preston
Screenplay by: Terry McMillan, Ronald Bass
Production Design by: David Gropman
Cinematography by: Toyomichi Kurita
Film Editing by: Richard Chew
Costume Design by: Judy L. Ruskin
Set Decoration by: Michael W. Foxworthy
Art Direction by: Marc Fisichella
Music by: Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds
MPAA Rating: R for language and some strong sexuality.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 20th Century Fox
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