The Preacher's Wife

1996

2h 3m

IMDb RATING

5.8/10

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2 Videos

51 Images

Family

Fantasy

Drama

Comedy

Romance

Good-natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived neighborhood they live in. On top of all this, his church is coming under threat from property developer Joe Hamilton. In desperation, Biggs prays to God for help – which arrives in the form of an angel named Dudley.

Directors

Penny Marshall

Writers

Robert Nathan(novel by)

Nat Mauldin(screenplay by)

Allan Scott(screenplay by)

Stars

Denzel Washington

Whitney Houston

Courtney B. Vance

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Videos2

Trailer
Watch The Preacher's Wife (1996) - Movie Trailer
Featurette
Watch Behind the Scene: Courtney B Vance on THE PREACHER'S WIFE

Photos51

Top cast

Dudley

Julia Biggs

Reverend Henry Biggs

Joe Hamilton

Margueritte Coleman

Beverly

Saul Jeffreys

Jeremiah Biggs

Britsloe

Robbie

Arlene Chattan

Anna Eldridge

Mrs. Havergal

Debbie Paige

Helmar Augustus Cooper

Johnson Keeley

Jernard Burks

Pizza Man

Aaron A. McConnaughey

Teen

Lex Monson

Osbert

Directors

Penny Marshall

Writers

Robert Nathan(novel by)

Nat Mauldin(screenplay by)

Allan Scott(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews1

Review

Featured review

5/10

No, no, no, no, no! What in the name of all that's holy convinced anyone that a remake of the delightfully charming "Bishop's Wife" (1947) ought to happen? Instead of that charmingly engaging story of a pre-occupied Bishop losing sight of what really mattered, we get this noisy and aggressive vehicle for Whitney Houston to prove she can shout her songs at us. She's married to the affable minister (Courtney B. Vance) whose church is facing an existential crisis. It's a lone beacon of hope in a deprived area of the city but it's also a prime site for redevelopment, and "Joe" (Gregory Hines) is determined to turn the steeple into a skyscraper. All this rearguard action is taking it's toll on his marriage though, so up pops "Dudley" (Denzel Washington) as the mischievous angel intent on helping this particular lost sheep. Thing is, the more he involves himself in the affairs of this couple the more he begins to fall for "Julia", she for him and nobody is really making any progress on the job in hand. The rest of this is faithful enough to the original but way too much of this is contrived to give it's singing star an opportunity to belt out "I Believe in You and Me" as well as a few more typically seasonal numbers. We all know she could sing, but this isn't singing. It's just showing off. She has a formidable vocal range but the deliveries here lack any kind of subtlety or delicacy. It's as if she was using her own voice instead of a wrecking ball to help out "Joe"! It's just completely class-free, charm-free and I don't think it need to have been made at all. Nobody's finest moments here, sorry.

Geronimo196702 Jan, 2025