The Preacher's Wife
Short description
The Preacher's Wife centres on Henry Biggs, a reverend in a struggling neighbourhood whose dedication to his congregation has left his marriage to Julia, the church choir leader, under strain. When a property developer, Joe Hamilton, sets his sights on the church building, Henry prays for assistance. Help arrives as Dudley, an angel who takes human form, but his presence complicates matters rather than settling them. The film is a remake of the 1947 comedy The Bishop's Wife, moving the story from a bishop to a preacher.
Penny Marshall directed, the sixth of the seven features listed for her, arriving between Renaissance Man and Riding in Cars with Boys. Nat Mauldin and Allan Scott wrote the screenplay, and Samuel Goldwyn Jr. produced. Denzel Washington plays Dudley, Whitney Houston plays Julia, Courtney B. Vance plays Henry, and Gregory Hines, Jenifer Lewis and Loretta Devine appear among a credited cast of 56.
Released in December 1996, the film runs 123 minutes across comedy, drama, family, fantasy and romance. Made for a budget of 40 million dollars, it returned 48 million worldwide. Reception was modest: a critics' rating of 6 out of 10 from 46 reviews, an IMDb score of 5.7 from around 15,000 votes, and a TMDB rating of 5.8 from roughly 267 votes, placing critics and audiences close together.
What's left behind the scenes
- The ice skating scene was filmed in one of the parks in Portland, Maine. The picturesque location was chosen in advance, but a week before the start of filming, a warm atmospheric front unexpectedly arrived in Maine, and the snow began to melt. Artificial snow and ice had to be used.
- Initially, Denzel Washington wanted Julia Roberts to play the role of Julia Biggs, but he later realized that Whitney Houston (1963-2012) would be a better fit for the part. He offered her the role, but Houston declined, only agreeing a year and a half later after repeated requests.
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