Cast: Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King, Suzzanne Douglas, Michael J.
Pagan
Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Producer: Deborah Schindler
Screenplay: Ron Bass and Terry McMillan based on the novel by Terry McMillan
Cinematography: Jeffrey Jur
Music: Michael Columbier
U.S. Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
You don't have to be an astute student of social trends to recognize that, when it comes to romance and age, American culture is characterized by a severe double standard. While it's perfectly acceptable for an older man to cavort with a much younger woman, if the genders are reversed, it comes close to being a scandal. That's why, on screen, Humphrey Bogart can be romantically linked with Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca), Harrison Ford can pair up with Julia Ormond (Sabrina) or Anne Heche (Six Days, Seven Nights), and Michael Douglas can be married to Gwyneth Paltrow (A Perfect Murder), but there aren't going to be many instances of a Cher with a Nicolas Cage (Moonstruck). When a movie has its middle-aged male lead fall in love with a female co- star two decades his junior, it's so commonplace that it isn't interesting, and the age difference may not be mentioned. However, when the woman has the advantage of age, there are consequences. This is not just a motion picture convention; it's a reality of life. And, in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, a surprisingly low-key romantic melodrama adapted by Ron Bass and Terry McMillan from McMillan's novel, the issues that arise from such a May/September male/female pairing are sensitively and intelligently explored.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back is loosely based on McMillan's own experience of falling in love and setting up house with a Jamaican man young enough to be her son. Perhaps this semi-nonfictional background is the reason why the characters resonate with warmth and believability. They're easy to like, and even easier to root for. Unlike Waiting to Exhale, a previous novel of McMillan's that was adapted for the screen, Stella is not overburdened with inadequate acting, sketchily- developed protagonists, and relentless manipulation. There are times when the film gives in to certain seemingly-mandatory contrivances of the genre (the big break up to allow for a climactic make up), but, in general, How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a fresh, sassy source of entertainment.
Stella Payne, the main character and McMillan's alter ego, is brought to life through a superior performance by Angela Bassett. Not only is Bassett gorgeous at the age of 40, but she has a body to die for and the acting skills to make us believe that she is Stella. This is not the best role Bassett has ever played -- What's Love Got to Do with It's Tina Turner required more fire and a greater range -- but it is the kind of high-profile part that could give the actress the attention she so richly deserves.
The film begins by introducing the title character as an independent woman who is raising a son by herself and doesn't crave the constant company of a man. However, when her high-pressure job as a San Francisco-based stock broker gets to be too much for her, Stella decides to take a vacation. Along with her best friend, Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg), she books a trip to Jamaica. While there, she begins flirting with a 20 year-old hunk improbably named Winston Shakespeare (Taye Diggs). Soon Stella, who embarked upon the vacation in an uptight and unsettled mood, is beginning to unwind and rediscover the part of her that had gotten lost under the business suits. Within a matter of days, she finds that her fling with Winston is becoming serious, and her feelings for him don't dissipate once she's back in the Bay Area.
For once, with How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Hollywood offers a love story that concentrates on the simple nuances of the romance rather than smothering us in an overly- melodramatic narrative featuring old boyfriends, jealousy, and hard-to-swallow misunderstandings. We are spared two painfully trite subplots: The Son Who Doesn't Get Along With The New Boyfriend and The Ex-Husband Who's Out To Cause Trouble (when Stella's ex shows up, he turns out to be an affable guy, not a cad, and he doesn't stick around for long). There are instances, including one involving a funeral, when director Kevin Rodney Sullivan tries to generate a few tears, but his manipulation stops short of being shameless or overbearing.
While Bassett is clearly the film's star, she is surrounded by a fine cast. Fresh face Taye Diggs does exactly what's demanded of him for this part: he portrays the too-good-to-be-true Winston with perfect sincerity while showing off a very impressive physique. It's not a great performance, but it's the kind of turn that will get him noticed. The supporting cast includes a pair of wonderfully amusing performances from Whoopi Goldberg as the obligatory Best Friend and Regina King (Cuba Gooding Jr.'s wife in Jerry Maguire) as Stella's chatty sister, Vanessa. We expect Goldberg to be funny, but King's comic aptitude is a revelation.
Like the title, the film is a little too long. However, except for a few slow spots, it makes for an enjoyable two hours. Given the subject matter, it's not surprising that the marketing for How Stella Got Her Groove Back is aimed at the black female audience, but this movie can be enjoyed by members of both genders of any race. It isn't the kind of "chick flick" that will have men looking at their watches every five minutes. And perhaps those who see this film will become a fraction more open-minded about relationships where the partners' age difference bucks the cultural norm. As Stella shows, there are times when the vapid cuteness of a young nymph can't hold a candle to the practiced sensuality of a more mature woman.
© 1998 James Berardinelli