One of my all time favorites.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Reverend Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance) leads a poor church in a struggling neighborhood. He has placed his work above his wife Julia (Whitney Houston) and son Jeremiah. She leads the choir. Property developer Joe Hamilton (Gregory Hines) is taking over the neighborhood. An angel named Dudley (Denzel Washington) comes down to answer Henry's prayers. Henry tries to help local kid Billy Eldridge who is falsely arrested for armed robbery. His incompetent secretary Beverly (Loretta Devine) is concerned that Dudley is replacing her.This movie is trying for some comedy which Courtney B. Vance is unable to deliver. The pairing of Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston would be great if they're in another movie. Her singing is tremendous but her relationship with Dudley is awkward. She's married and he's an angel. The most compelling part is Billy Eldridge but his part is very small. The whole thing is problematic.

Not being a fan of Henry Koster's misguided, overrated Christmas romance "The Bishop's Wife" from 1947--and not exactly being an admirer of Whitney Houston's acting abilities (I walked out on "The Bodyguard" and passed on "Waiting to Exhale")--I was surprised to find this all-black remake directed by Penny Marshall an improvement over the original, one featuring a fine performance by the famous singer. A handsome angel comes to Earth to help a beleaguered minister and befriends his lonely spouse who's in charge of the church choir. With a solid cast at her disposal, Marshall, preserving the Christmas theme, mostly receives the jubilant results she was aiming for, though her too-obvious love of sentimentality coats the picture with a heavy whimsy (a lighter touch might have avoided this). Houston is appealing and effortless on the screen--she's a natural, making her scenes flow with ease. Washington and Vance are also good, though, in a switch from the '47 version, the male roles are far less interesting.

THE PREACHER'S WIFE, to me, is a very romantic and touching movie. I thought that Julia (Whitney Houston) looked very pretty in the black dress she wore when she and Dudley (Denzel Washington) went to Jazzie's together, which is where she sang "I Believe In You And Me." I would have to say that "I Believe In You And Me" is my favorite song of this movie. She sounded good when she sang that and every other song she sang in the film. Reverend Biggs (Courtney B. Vance), to me, was a good preacher and father. One of the funniest things about the film is when the boiler broke when the choir was rehearsing. That was weird, but it was funny! In conclusion, if you are a fan of Denzel Washington or you should see this movie if you haven't seen it. When you see it, prepare to be touched and amazed.

This remake of the Bishop's Wife had some good points, all in about the last third of the movie. Recalling that while I greatly enjoyed the original film, 1947 film "The Bishop's Wife", starring Carey Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young, when I happen to catch snatches of it on TV, it now seems slow paced. I think we have become accustomed to faster moving stories. But The Preachers Wife, if anything, is even more plodding than its original.Denzel is a terrific actor, but I'm guessing Penny Marshall (Laverne DeFazio in TV's "Laverne & Shirley" smash hit comedy series)directed him to play his part as someone who wanted to be romantically involved with the Wife, but couldn't. In the original, as II recall. Cary Grant is, of course charming, as only Cary Grant could be, but he remains focused on what he was sent down to Earth to do.The actor playing the Preacher, was the one part I thought better than the original! Which is quite a compliment when you consider that I was very fond of David Niven, both as an actor and as a wit. (As I recall, Mr. Niven was on stage during a televised Acadamy Awards show when a buck naked streaker ran across the stage. I don't recall exactly what he said, but the always dapper and unflappable David watched the streaker with an amused grin on his face and then made an ad lib remark that had everyone laughing.) Courtney B. Vance played the part of Reverend Henry Biggs so well that I became convinced that Denzel Washington was playing a double role, just wearing make-up to change his appearance. (Denzel has the acting talent to alter his persona, even without makeup. Except perhaps for the same face, I would never confuse his Malcome X, his Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, his "Creasy" in "Man on Fire", or his Dr. Jerome Davenport in "Antwone Fisher" with each other. Even without makeup or props you can tell then apart.) Maybe Mr. Vance's talent is recognized within the entertainment industry (his filmography suggests he's been kept pretty busy), but the awards for which he has been nominated are not ones I follow.