Date: Fri 20-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLK

Illustration: C

Location: A13

Quick Words:

Preacher's-Wife-Washington

Full Text:

(rev "The Preacher's Wife" for Now Playing, 12/20/96)

Now Playing-

`Preacher's Wife' Is Nice For Christmas

By Trey Paul Alexander III

Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance), a beleaguered pastor reeling from the

mounting pressures of job stress and marital strife, calls upon the Lord for

assistance, and lo and behold, Denzel Washington drops from the sky! This is

the bare-bones premise behind The Preacher's Wife , the newest film from

former-Laverne-turned-director Penny Marshall.

Judging from his hunched appearance and hang-dog countenance, it's clear Biggs

is carrying some heavy burdens. His inner-city church, which thrived under the

leadership of his departed father-in-law, is now pinched for funds and

besieged by an opportunistic (read: greedy) developer (Gregory Hines); a teen

center which he helped run has now folded, leaving dozens of kids out in the

cold; a young man, formerly under Biggs' tutelage, is arrested for robbing a

liquor store; and while all this heated pressure comes bearing down upon him,

he turns a cold shoulder to the needs of his family.

Currently playing at the Crown Cine theater in Danbury, The Preacher's Wife is

a remake of 1947's The Bishop's Wife (starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and

David Niven), and as can be implied from the title, one of the main roles

around which it pivots is that of Biggs' wife, Julia, here played by Whitney

Houston. As the choir director at the church, Julia gets plenty of opportunity

to sing in this film, therefore giving Houston's soaring voice many chances to

captivate the movie audience. But whom Julia also captivates is Dudley

(Washington), the nattily clad angel sent from above to aid the reverend

during this particularly rough Christmas season.

When Dudley arrives to assist the Biggs family, only the cherubic young son

(Justin Pierre Edmund), who also serves as the movie's narrator, truly

believes he is an angel. Julia thinks he is an assistant sent from the church

council, and Henry, who has been told the truth up front, begrudgingly

tolerates Dudley's fedora-decked presence but in no way subscribes to his

angel-from-the-realm-of-glory theory. While Dudley's motives are pure and his

intentions are honest, his inability to prompt Henry to deal with the growing

discord between himself and Julia unwittingly puts him in a curious position

of playing too close a part in the affairs of the Biggs household.

The Preacher's Wife is undoubtedly all the things you might expect - sappy,

sugary and sentimental (don't expect sarcasm). That is not a cutting criticism

of the film, just an observation of its tone. To its credit, this Christmas

comedy is never out of control and for the most point avoids maudlin, mawkish

moments.

As for star power, Houston is what she is: a beautiful woman with an

incredible voice and adequate acting chops. Her dramatic performance here hits

the necessary notes, yet I still found one of the most intriguing aspects of

her portrayal was how many time her lips quivered (a lot!) while she sang.

Washington, known for his intensity and focused characterizations, is nicely

relaxed here, affecting a boyish cute and endearing persona and letting his

beaming, toothy grin work wonders on us. Vance and the rest of the cast are

fine, with Jenifer Lewis a standout as Julia's buttinski but wise mom.

Director Marshall, whose latest is not as spirited as some of her past outings

such as Big and A League of Their Own , lets The Preacher's Wife get off to an

uncommonly slow beginning in its opening reel, but the movie gathers momentum

as it goes. Overall, although the motion picture is not quite lively enough

consistently to be a perennial classic, it'll do rather nicely for this year.

The Preacher's Wife is rated PG. It contains just a few, mild profanities,

seemingly tossed in as if to make sure the film didn't snag that dreaded G

rating (heavens, no!).