The Preacher’s Wife Synopsis: An angel comes to Earth to help a preacher save his church and his family.
Reverend Henry Biggs is struggling. His church is in financial trouble, and he’s under pressure to sell the property to a real estate mogul, who promises Biggs the church of his dreams. Meanwhile, his wife Julia and son Jeremiah are also feeling neglected, as Henry is being pulled in so many directions he has little time for his family. When he asks for help from the big guy in the sky, Dudley arrives, claiming to be an angel sent by God. Henry is skeptical and annoyed, but Julia is instantly charmed by Dudley.
The Preacher’s Wife is a remake of The Bishop’s Wife from 1947, starring Cary Grant and David Niven. While nowhere near as enjoyable, The Preacher’s Wife does have its moments. Denzel Washington is entertaining as Dudley the Angel, though I have to admit his interest in Julia does start to tip a bit into creep territory, especially when he visualizes his face on the Biggs’ wedding photo.
I don’t know that I have much to say about Whitney Houston’s performance as Julia. Her acting is fine, if a bit stiff. She only truly comes alive when she’s singing, which I suppose is to be expected. That’s where Houston shines. I’d say the highlight for me is Jenifer Lewis as Julia’s sassy mother, Margueritte, providing what little comic relief the movie actually has.
Washington and Houston together starkly contrast Houston and Courtney B. Vance, who plays Henry. It’s evident that Julia is unhappy, and Henry knows this, but even on an evening when Julia gets dressed up and wants to have a night out, Henry pushes Dudley to take her instead… and then gets jealous when Dudley and Julia are out late and have a good time.
There are simply a lot of mixed messages here, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if Dudley had become a “human” again to end up with Julia. Obviously, that defeats the whole message of The Preacher’s Wife, but it makes the most sense in this case!
I wish The Preacher’s Wife had tapped a bit more into the “angel”-ness of it all if that makes any sense. In The Bishop’s Wife, Dudley performs tiny miracles here and there, but there’s not much of that here in The Preacher’s Wife. Instead, director Penny Marshall seems to build Julia and Dudley’s relationship more than anything else, to the point where Julia even begins to show romantic interest in Dudley, which I don’t believe ever happened in The Bishop’s Wife. Loretta Young’s Julia is wholly devoted to her husband.
I found The Preacher’s Wife to be a rather sweet, somewhat schmaltzy holiday film. I found it a bit too long and certainly isn’t as magical as The Bishop’s Wife, but it has some lovely performances, and it’s hard not to get into the Christmas spirit when you’re listening to Houston sing with the Georgia Mass Choir.
Watched: 11/19/2022
Notable Song: I Believe In You and Me by Whitney Houston
