The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 18, 1996, Page 4, Image 4
4
I
IB
(From left to rig
remarkable worn
lOL
use
/" jO rowds of friends and lovers
^have been flocking to movie t
I /theaters across America t
since the Dec.22 release of i
"Waiting to Exhale," the motion picture 1
based on Terry McMillan's 1992 bestOAllincr
nnvol
"Exhale," directed by Forrest Whitaker, s
is the story of four African-American I
women who encounter a series of i
hardships, broken hearts and less-than- 1
desirable men, all while attempting to
attain true love. i
Whitney Houston (Savannah), Angela c
Bassett (Bernadine), Loretta Devine 1
(Gloria) and Lela Rochon (Robin) portray 1
r n* _j _ ___i_ _ 1 _ _i_ r i n ii l
iour menas wno iook ior love in ail tne j
wrong places and most often, the wrong i
men. ?
"Exhale" has earned an estimated
$53.6 million in the past four weeks. t
Jamie Wightman, an employee at Dutch 1
Square Mall Cinemas, said the crowds t
have been steady, and patrons have been j
pleased with the film. I
"d think the theme of be
made
\ m?r f ^^ - /UK
fr mm m
Goo Goo
m> No Doubt (
FEBRUARY 25 7:30pm
Carolina Coliseum
RESERVED AND GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS ON SALE
THIS SATURDAY, JAN. 20 AT 9 AM AT The Coliseum Box Offi
All Capital Ticket Outlets and All Select-A-Seat Ticket Locations or
Charge By Phone At 251-2222
^Jr
ht) Gloria (Loretta Devine), Savar
an who iournav through a mnHorn
iking
students react
M<
<*T?I 1.1 li. ~ l^i.
ine vvumen seem lu ime 11 a iui inure
han the men, probably because some of
he things the women say in the movie
ire degrading to men. A lot of couples
lave been here to see it," she said.
Reaction from USC students about
"Exhale" has been mixed. Many students
say they have seen the movie several
imes, and they feel a film about African\merican
women dealing with
"elationships is long overdue.
ui think it's a positive depiction of
\frican-American women. A lot of the
)ther movies made for a black audience
ly black directors or other directors have
leen located in crime infested areas.
Everything in the black community is
lot like that," senior Kimberly Rogers
said.
Both men and women disagree with
he concept that "Exhale" is the male)ashing
movie of
;he'90s. Senior (^1
psychology major * Oy ? I
Honald Rice feels
ending and sisterh
3 for women and
- 9fonald
1
^Are you
enough
COLUN
body am
S
SI
ETC.
inah (Whitney Houston), Bemadine (
labyrinth of husbands, lovers, jobs a
a 9
to Twentieth Cei
Waiting to ?i>xh<
the film does not represent the qualities
and behavior of an entire race of men.
"A lot of people thought it was a malebashing
movie. Some men are like that,
but all African-American men are not
like those characters," Rice said.
Junior Shon Wright, who has read
the novel, feels the screenplay's treatment
of the male characters was less severe
/ ^5?/
one the 92% of ALL Americans
to have ANY fitness benefit? If y<
IBIA ATHLETIC CLUB guaranty
i raise your metabolic rate in onl;
riJDENT$41
PECIAL Z!
INITIATION FEE Offer expire
>bics classes per week F
isters, treadmills C
eights & machines C
iter bicycles E
Colum
than in the book.
"I think they went a lot easier on the
man than they did in the book," he said.
"It will spark dialogue about relationships,
and any movie that makes black men
and women talk about their relationships
is positive."
The screenplay, co-written by McMillan
and Academy Award-winning screenwriter
Ronald Bass, deleted several events that
occurred in the book. Some students feel
these details were essential to the novel's
-3
ifton Chestnut, St(
tood has brought p
what they go throu;
Rice, Senior psyche
% OF STU
'
%
K^B -y^
C^| ^
Twentietl
Angela Bassett) and Robin (Lela Rocl
ind makeovers in "Waiting to Exhale."
^reat
itury Fox's new i
ale"
plot and were disappointed "Exhale"
didn't include them.
"I realized that there would be
discrepancies between the book and the
movie. Some of the characters, especially
Robin (Rochon), had so much more behind
them in the book," senior Winona Ross
said. "I am disappointed to know that
Terry McMillan was involved in the
writing of the screenplay and that so
many important details were left out."
Although many promotional posters
and advertisements have included the
photograph of the four actresses sitting
side-by-side, Houston and Bassett have
received the most critical acclaim for
"Exhale."
Rogers feels Bassett deserves the
most credit in the film for dealing with
her unfaithful husband. However, she
felt "the movie treated adultery a little
too casually."
3rf Writer W!"J
did a good job of
eople to see this mc
gh, regardless of cc
^i^yy iiiujui
DENTS ARI
that don't exercise |
du are sBHHBHi
?es to tone your
Joo MR
'ool, saunas, whirlpools ^
Complete locker facilities
Complete nursery
> i _ _ 11 n i.1 11
>asKeioaii, Kaqueioan
bia Athlel
Thursday, January 18,1996
Ifcif. ? m
i Century Fox Pictures
ion) portray four
her
movie,
portraying what women who rely on men
for their success go through," she said.
"Bernadine's strong sense of pride
and determination shows that with
perseverance, anything is possible. In
the end, she did what she had to do," Rice
oaiu.
The "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack,
produced by Babyface, features an
ensemble of 16 tracks by female R&B
artists. Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
which has been No. 1 on the R&B charts,
is one of her three songs on the soundtrack
Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and Mary
J. Blige are among a host of other artists
featured.
Rice feels the movie's popularity has
been based on the universal issues it
contains, as well as the amount of hype
associated with McMillan's novel.
"I think the theme of bonding and
sisterhood has brought people to see this
movie.," he said. "I think the movie is
made for women and what they go
through, regardless of color."
w /\r\ m /~\\ nr\ i r
;vio. I II III IN IIIC II IUVIC 10
)lor,"
E ON DIETS...
:ic Club