Women see themselves in movie

Date: December 23, 1995
By Erika N. Duckworth

From St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Submitted by: Larry A.


Enough about Waiting to Exhale, the book, the soundtrack and the movie.

This was Waiting to Exhale, the event.

As early as 4:50 p.m., couples, families and groups of girlfriends jammed the Tyrone 6 theater to see the characters from Terry McMillan's wildly successful novel of the same name brought to life by the likes of actor Angela Bassett and pop star Whitney Houston. The 4:50 p.m. show was sold out by 4 o'clock. The 7:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. shows sold out during the 4:50 show.

For many black women hungry to see their images on screen in starring roles, the film is nothing short of a milestone.

"It's more than just a movie," said 29-year-old Joy Porter, a fan of McMillan's book. "It's a celebration of friendship between black women. It's the first time that the story of the single black woman has been brought to the big screen, and everyone's anxious to see something they can relate to."

For those unfamiliar with the story, Waiting to Exhale follows four female characters - earthy Savannah, sexy Robin, overweight Gloria and newly divorced Bernadine - as they struggle through romances with the wrong men. Judging from the audience interaction, the film captured the often explosive spirit of the book.

The audience let out a collective "Whooooo!" when Bernadine (Bassett) stalked into her husband's office and slapped his mistress across the face. They snapped their fingers and sang aloud as the theme song Exhale (Shoop, Shoop) wafted in the background. They groaned when Robin (Lela Rochon) made yet another bad love decision.

"I thought it was excellent," gushed Janice Bradley, 37, after the movie ended. "The book was better, but I liked the movie."

Despite the accusations of male-bashing aimed at the book and the film, Bradley's husband agreed with her assessment.

"The movie was great," he said. "I liked the book better. You could follow it more."

Veronica Richardson said it felt good to see affirming images on the movie screen.

"It was wonderful," Richardson said. "We have a group of friends, and it's us!"

Delores Lovett, 27, agreed.

"We can relate to (the characters). I was good to see real-life situations on screen," Lovett said. "The way Angela Bassett slapped the lady, she vindicated a lot of black women."

Said Debra Jones, 42: "It's true. A lot of black women are treated this way. I hope a lot of (men) will come and see the movie."

Vince Gonzol, who is white, hopes the movie does well so that McMillan's book Disappearing Acts will be adapted to film. While Gonzol was particularly unimpressed with Houston's performance, he said he enjoyed the film.

"I was very impressed with the fact that it even got made. It portrayed people as real people and not a bunch of stereotypes," said Gonzol, 31. "When I read that book, I couldn't put it down at 1:30 in the morning. I really, really liked it."

The book and the film strike an especially personal chord with Porter and her small group of girlfriends - so much so that they picked the characters that reminded them most of themselves.

Porter said she identified most with level-headed Savannah.

"The book captured a lot of the feelings that single black women have and some of the struggles that they go through," said Porter, a public information specialist for Pinellas County. "It is kind of limited when it comes to finding eligible black men. There are good ones out there. You just have to find them."

Porter's friend Joy Brown, who is divorced, saw many similarities between her life and Bernadine's.

"No matter who you are, you can see yourself in these four or a combination of these women. It just brings it to real life," said Brown, a veteran's claim examiner for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "The characters are everyday people. It'll probably be sold out for weeks!"