How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Suzzanne Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King, Michael Pagan. Written by Ron Bass and Terry McMillan, from the novel by Terry McMillan. Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. Rated R, 3.5 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com/film/ Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to pbbp24a@prodigy.com
What a pleasant way to wrap up the summer film season. Leisurely and smart, "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" is the cinematic equivalent of sipping an umbrella drink on a warm, breezy evening. There's no meteors racing towards Earth here, no wisecracking cops, evil spies or government conspiracies. There's not a single explosion in the film. "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" is the kind of movie that invites you to relax, ease back in your seat and simply enjoy spending a couple of lazy hours with a group of likable, extremely well-drawn characters.
Based on the novel by Terry McMillan (who co-wrote the film with Ron Bass), "Stella" is a laid-back, intelligent and often funny love story, gently examining how pursuing financial security and adhering to social rules can divert a person from the things that really matter. Some critics dismissed the novel, stating that in contrast to her other books ("Mama," "Disappearing Acts" and "Waiting to Exhale"), "Stella" was just a trifle. Having not read any of her work, all I can say is that this "trifle" certainly translates wonderfully to the screen.
Stella (Angela Bassett) is 40 years old and settled in her ways. A single mother, she juggles a highly successful career as an investment analyst with caring for her bright young son. Her friends repeatedly urge her to take a break from her heavy workload, but Stella ignores them until one day, while her son is away with relatives, she gets a whim and takes off with her best friend Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg) for a vacation in Jamaica.
Once on the Caribbean island, the movie finds its groove, even while Stella struggles to locate hers. Brimming with beautiful landscapes, gorgeous sunsets and happy tourists, the playful, almost giddy mood is infectious. Bassett delivers a smoky, multi-layered performance and Goldberg is delightful as the outspoken, horny Delilah, who divides her time between trying to help Stella loosen up and trying to get herself laid.
Soon enough, Stella meets Winston (Taye Diggs), a charming, great-looking Jamaican man 20 years her junior. Sparks fly, and the two quickly end up playing out the kind of magical love affair most vacationers only dream of. But what will they do when the vacation is over? Their social, cultural and financial worlds are as different as their countries and, of course, there's that age-difference business.
Choices are weighed, decisions made, and before you know it, Winston is in San Francisco, trying to adjust to life with Stella and her son. Naturally, there's complications galore, but while their fates are uncertain, it's clear to the viewer that these people were made for each other.
If it all sounds too good to be true, try this out for size. The story is loosely based on McMillan's real-life affair with a younger Jamaican man, who currently lives with her in California. Whether it's sheer writing skill, knowledge based on experience or, more likely, a combination of the two, McMillan's characters have a depth and resonance uncommon for players in such frothy fare.
The cast has a great time with those characters. Angela Bassett was sensational in "What's Love Got To Do With It" and it's nice to see her get another major showcase for her skills. After great turns here and in "Ghost," Whoopi Goldberg should seriously consider skipping the starring roles and focusing her talents on supporting characters. And watch out for Taye Diggs. Sexy with an assured, but sweet presence, this charismatic young actor has a big future ahead of him.
>From the title alone, it's easy to predict how a film like this will end, but getting there is such a pleasure, thanks to fine acting, characters you can relate to, and a number of finely spun vignettes. A nice example is a scene where Winston meets Stella's ex at a barbecue. When the older man sees the young buck with Stella, what does he do? He shares a beer with the kid and give him some sage advice. McMillan has a knack for taking conventional scenes and zigging where most writers zag, adding a fresh feeling to the proceedings.
Unfortunately, the proceedings go on a bit too long. At roughly two hours, "Stella" is about 30 minutes longer than it needs to be. Where, oh where, are the editors when we really need them? Why can't they realize that with elegant, eloquent films like "Stella" and "The Horse Whisperer," there definitely can be too much of a good thing?
Despite being overly long, "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" remains one of the most gratifying films of the summer. After months of enduring overblown event movies that failed to deliver on their promises, a warm, winning confection like "Stella" serves as a welcome mini-vacation from the Hollywood hype merchants.
© 1998 Ed Johnson-Ott
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews