Review of Waiting to Exhale (1995) by Charles S — 11 Jun 2008

This movie is a forerunner of Sex in the City insofar as it follows four career-minded, 30-something, female friends who are seeking men who will provide them with the respect, happiness, and ideal love they so desperately desire. Like Sex, they take comfort in their girlfriends and their liquor. Unlike Sex, most of these women will get by with a bittersweet lesson and no fairy tale ending.

The movie's strongest character is Angela Bassett's Bernadine, a tenacious, intelligent woman who helped build her husband's career only to be heartlessly dumped before he could return the favor. Bernadine's hairdresser and friend Georgia, a single mother who put her love-life on hold to raise her son, helps Bernadine by being a voice of reason and conscience. Unfortunately, Georgia is overshadowed by the sexier friends played by Houston and Rochon.

These two (who really ought to be one character) are constantly on the lookout for Mr. Right, and end up with rotten and/or married men. All men are jerks, this movie likes to imply. The only redeeming moments for these two come at the end. The You're-In-Good-Hands actor tells Houston's character that she's been a jerk in their adulterous relationship as much as he has, and she replies, "Well, the difference between you and me is that I'm no longer a jerk." And she leaves him. Hoorah. And the other character chooses to leave her married lover before he has a chance to leave her (and their unborn baby).

This movie is successful in that it discretely touches some serious topics: single motherhood, race, adultery, dependence on men vs. the ambitious woman. I feel, though, that this movie is not successful in that it's script somehow prevents us from feeling like the characters are genuine or self-reflective. I can't put my finger on it, but I think it has to do with all the la la la love talk and the lack of real conversation and nurturing gestures among these "friends.".