THE PREACHER'S WIFE: Comedy. Starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, Courtney B. Vance. Directed by Penny Marshall. (PG. 124 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.)
Heavenly performances help lift "The Preacher's Wife" beyond the usual warm and fuzzy holiday movie fare. Denzel Washington is the one playing an angel in this Penny Marshall film opening today, but Whitney Houston is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time.
Based on the 1947 film "The Bishop's Wife" with Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young, "The Preacher's Wife" qualifies as old-fashioned Hollywood movie making at its corniest and most saccharine. But the mostly African American cast puts an engaging spin on the chestnut, and it works beautifully.
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A DISTRACTED PASTOR
The Rev. Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance), Baptist pastor of St. Matthew's Church in snowbound Any City, U.S.A., has trouble on his hands. His church is falling apart, the neighborhood seems to be going to the dogs, a greedy developer wants to raze buildings to put up condos and highrises, and poor honest, big- hearted Henry hardly has time to catch his breath with Christmas only a week away.
The good man also has a beautiful wife, Julia (Houston), who loves him devotedly and is the musical soul of the church, leading the choir and directing a nativity play.
They have a son, Jeremiah (Justin Pierre Edmund), whose best friend, Hakim (Darvel Davis Jr.), is visiting temporarily while awaiting placement in a foster home. Also under the preacher's roof is his sexy mother-in-law, Marguerite (Jenifer Lewis), who has plenty of opinions about the minister's tendency to leave her daughter out in the cold while he's tending to his flock.
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Henry could certainly use a helping hand.
That help arrives one day when an angel named Dudley falls out of the sky into a snowbank near the Biggs family's home.
Dudley is well-dressed, hand some, unassuming -- but his mission from the Big Guy is a tough one. He's got to convince the busy Biggs that he is an angel on a mission of mercy.
"The Preacher's Wife" is a straightforward, wistful and lovely look at good people thrown off by the demands of the world and the nagging needs of everyday life. There is too much to do, and Christmas doesn't help. The story is so predictable and the setting so romanticized that it's a wonder this film can hold the interest it does.
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HEAVENLY CASTING
The casting is the key. Washington is a dreamy angel with his great smile and easy charm. And Houston exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice.
Angel Dudley and good wife Julia form a strange alliance, each smitten with the charm and attractiveness of the other. Their sparkling kinship is beautifully portrayed in a funny, touching sequence at a jazz nightclub and in moments throughout the film. Director Marshall made a smart move in never letting passions ignite, instead trusting in the old- fashioned power of innuendo to create a romantic glow.
