Amazon.com Essentials:
Based on a novel
by Terry McMillan, this weepy melodrama about four African
American women and the men who wronged them became an instant cultural
phenomenon when it was released back in 1995. It's easy to see why
Exhale struck a nerve: the movie boasts an attractive cast of
African American actresses and personalities, including Whitney
Houston, Angela Bassett, and Lela Rochon. Unfortunately, though,
Exhale sags under the weight of its soapy, crisis of the week
plotting and relentlessly cheery "you go, girl!" optimism. And African
American men, cast here as insensitive lovers and pigheaded
materialists, get the very short end of the feminist stick. Perhaps
moviegoers were simply responding to the brilliant soundtrack by
R&B superstar Babyface, who provided the movie's only real
groove. --Ethan Brown
