Four friends (Savannah, Robin, Bernadine, and Gloria) get together frequently to support one another and listen to each other vent about life and love. They each want to be in a romantic relationship, but they each have difficulties finding a good man
Interviewed in the spring of 2011 on an episode of The Talk, Angela Bassett confirmed that a sequel was in the planning stages, with all the female principals signed on to star, and Whitaker returning to direct. The film would supposedly be based on McMillan's 2010 follow-up novel, Getting to Happy; McMillan was adapting the book to screenplay. However, the 2012 death of Whitney Houston halted plans for a sequel starring all four of the original leads.
Original Cast of 'Waiting to Exhale' Returning for Sequel halted
'Waiting to Exhale' was a box office hit in 1995. Here’s a peek at how much total wealth the stars have maintained in the 25 years since the film's release.
In 1995, Waiting to Exhale was an instant hit, opening at No. 1 at the box office over the Christmas weekend. Hollywood execs might have been surprised by the movie's runaway success, but we weren't. How could it not be a hit? It was a chick flick with a cast of talented black actresses, the story of four women…
- Image Awards
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture:
- (Angela Bassett) Winner
- (Whitney Houston) Nominated
- Outstanding Soundtrack: Winner
- Outstanding Motion Picture: Winner
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture: (Gregory Hines) Nominated
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture:
- (Loretta Devine) Winner
- (Lela Rochon) Nominated
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture:
- MTV Movie Awards
- Best Female Breakthrough Performance: (Lela Rochon) Nominated
- Best Song from a Movie:
- Whitney Houston - "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"
- Brandy - "Sittin' Up in My Room"
CAST
- Whitney Houston as Savannah Jackson, a successful television producer who after few failed relationships, decides to move from Denver, Colorado to Phoenix, Arizona
- Angela Bassett as Bernadine Harris, a mother of two children with dreams of starting a catering business shelved by her 11-year marriage to her husband, only for him to drop a bomb: he's divorcing her for his white bookkeeper.
- Loretta Devine as Gloria Matthews, a beauty salon owner & single mother of Tarik
- Lela Rochon as Robin Stokes, an executive and the long-time mistress of Russell
- Gregory Hines as Marvin King, Gloria's neighbor with whom she falls in love, decides to move from Nevada to Phoenix, Arizona
- Dennis Haysbert as Kenneth Dawkins, Savannah's married lover
- Mykelti Williamson as Troy, Robin's one-time lover
- Michael Beach as John Harris Sr., Bernie's husband who leaves her for a white woman
- Donald Adeosun Faison as Tarik Matthews, Gloria's teenage son
- Leon Robinson as Russell, Robin's long-time married lover
- Wendell Pierce as Michael Davenport, Robin's co-worker and one-night stand
- Jeffrey D. Sams as Lionel, Savannah's New Year's Eve date
- Jazz Raycole as Onika Harris, Bernadine & John Sr.'s daughter
- Brandon Hammond as John Harris Jr., Bernadine & John Sr.'s son
- Kenya Moore as Denise, Lionel's "friend" who sees Savannah as a rival
- Lamont Johnson as Joseph, Lionel's "friend"
- Starletta DuPois as "Ma", Savannah's mother who wants her daughter with a man, preferably Kenneth
- Kelly Preston as Kathleen, John Sr.'s bookkeeper for whom he's leaving his wife Bernadine (uncredited)
- Wesley Snipes as James Wheeler, a civil rights attorney Bernadine shares an intimate moment with (uncredited)
- Giancarlo Esposito as David Matthews, Gloria's ex-husband and father of Tarik (uncredited)
Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 American romance film directed by Forest Whitaker (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The film was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. Lela Rochon, Loretta Devine, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Beach, Gregory Hines, Donald Faison, and Mykelti Williamson rounded out the rest of the cast. The original music score was composed by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The story centers on four women living in the Phoenix metropolitan area and their relationships with men and one another. All of them are "holding their breath" until the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship with themselves.
Parts of the film were shot at Monument Valley in Utah as well as Chandler, Fountain Hills, Phoenix and Paradise Valley in Arizona.
Parts of the film were shot at Monument Valley in Utah as well as Chandler, Fountain Hills, Phoenix and Paradise Valley in Arizona.
The soundtrack album to the film features exclusively female African-American artists. The soundtrack includes the number-one hit songs "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", sung by the film's star, Whitney Houston, and "Let It Flow" by Toni Braxton as well as "Not Gon' Cry" by Mary J. Blige, "Sittin' Up in My Room" by Brandy, and "Count on Me" by Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans, all of which reached the top ten of Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
Waiting to Exhale was a financial success, opening at number one at the North American box office and grossing $14.1 million its first weekend of release. In total, the film grossed $67.05 million in North America, and $14.4 million internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $81.45 million. Its widest release was just over 1,400 theatres, and it was the 26th highest-grossing film of 1995.