Houston, we have a problem

Date: January 16, 1997
By William Russell

From The Herald (Glasgow)
Submitted by: Larry A.


An angel, a couple of devils, some fairies and a con man - an eclectic mixture of films this week if ever there was. Let us begin with the angel, since angels are all the rage in the United States it seems. The first of the year's angel movies - John Travolta with wings in Michael lies ahead - is The Preacher's Wife in which the angel is played by Denzel Washington, the wife by Whitney Houston and the preacher by Courtney Vance. Directed by Penny Marshall, it is a remake of the 1947 comedy, The Bishop's Wife in which Cary Grant came to earth to rescue Bishop David Niven, who had become embroiled in rebuilding plans, and flirt innocently with his gorgeous wife, Loretta Young.

But it has all gone down market and sophistication has been replaced by schmaltz.

Whatever else it proves it demonstrates that the devil does not have all the best tunes, there being no point in having Ms Houston in a movie if she does not sing.

The wife leads the gospel choir in her husband's church, and every now and then the action grinds to a halt to allow her to warble yet another gospel song. She even gets to do a bit of torch singing when the angel gets to take her to a nightclub, husband being too busy with parish business, where she and Vance did their courting.

It also allows Ms Houston, who spends much of the time dressed down as the humble wife of a minister, to sweep her hair up, don a slinky black number and assume her pop star persona.

The film suffers from the fact that Buena Vista has decided to release what should be a Christmas film in mid January.

Penny Marshall, a cigarette-throated blonde, in London to promote it, said this was the first question she had asked. Why now? Why not early December? They told her it was because we had long winters. The lady was not impressed, but directors have no say what happens to their films once they fall into the hands of the distributor. Maybe the words 101 Dalmatians, Disney's big Christmas movie, are the answer. One thing at a time.

It also suffers from a ill-constructed script. The issue at its heart is the preacher's loss of confidence in his ministry and the threat to his church and the local community posed by a greedy land developer, Gregory Hines. But that gets disposed of in one.

good scene between Vance and Hines, and a final scene in which, his self -belief restored, the preacher delivers his Christmas sermon.

Vance, however, is not the star and the scene is instantly trumped by Ms Houston belting out yet another number. Her fans and those of Washington will not be disappointed, although somebody ought to tell Denzel that there is more to becoming the new Cary Grant than wearing a pearl grey suit and flashing one's pearlies a lot.

As for the church's financial problems, with a lead singer like Ms Houston in the choir they could have been solved by cutting a record, which rather undermines the claims about poverty.