How Stella Got Her Groove Back

R

Released Aug 14, 1998

2 hr. 4 min.

Romance

Comedy

List

50%

50 Reviews

Tomatometer

66%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Unlucky-in-love stockbroker Stella (Angela Bassett) jets to Jamaica with her gal pal Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg) for some fun in the sun. There, the 40-year-old working woman has an island fling with Winston (Taye Diggs) -- a handsome 20-something. When it's time to return to California, Stella realizes that she's developed real feelings for her new man. But, with their distance from each other, not to mention their disparity in age, does a real relationship stand a chance?

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Apr 17

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Hulu

Prime Video

Apple TV

Watch How Stella Got Her Groove Back with a subscription on Hulu, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

Angela Bassett gracefully breezes through a hot summer fling without much conflict or ado, leaving us wondering when -- or if -- she's ever getting that groove back.

Read Critics Reviews

Steve D

Its message is a bit muddled but the cast is great.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Angela Bassett, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King, and Taye Diggs star in a romantic drama based on the novel by Terry McMillan Bassett plays Stella and she'll need to find her groove again Stella used to be married but got divorced and she has her son Her friend, Delilah urges her to find a man to feel happy and complete But Stella is perfectly content being a working woman stock broker She then takes a trip to Jamaica There she meets an islander named Winston Shakespeare They fall in love but can Stella really find passion and happiness? Responsibilities and companionship are what Stella wrestles with and with Winston pointing out her flaws of always making a plan of her own to course through life The movie acts as a good social commentary and shows an all-black cast can carry a film appealing to a wider audience It’s very romantic, funny, and Bassett and Diggs work so well together Good free escapism featuring Jamaica as a breathtaking backdrop even if the main character doesn’t have too much of a challenge to face when finding her passions

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/29/23

Full Review

Victoria

For someone who is supposedly trying to get her groove back, Stella sure is stiff. The movie drags on without much happening. The flirting is dry, no real chemistry but after a pajama party she decides she wants to sleep with him then gets mad when he gets a job and has to work? After one night you're that attached?? Then she gets fired and goes back to Jamaica because he called? Then introduces him to her son??? He quits his job to spend time with her and is so in love he introduces her to his parents. The problem is we don't see any courtship to explain why they're so attached and when they're together they don't seem to have much fun. Stella never seems to lighten up, stays stiff, always has an "over it" attitude but supposedly she's happy? They both seem solemn most of the time. Neither has much of a personality. Oh and there's a depressing scene where her best friend doesn't tell her she's dying and then bam she's at her funeral. Is this supposed to be a feel good movie? It's not hot. It's not even lukewarm. It's boring and kinda of sad.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

In strictly Lacanian terms, Stella's groove functions as objet petit a.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

just a meh movie.....

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The critics are so wrong for giving this masterpiece an offensive low 48%. Five stars hands down! Either the so called critics are blind or racist! The Holy Bible says in the book of Acts 10:34, "God is no respecter of persons"!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Kevin Rodney Sullivan

Director

Angela Bassett

Stella Payne

Taye Diggs

Winston Shakespeare

Regina King

Vanessa

Whoopi Goldberg

Delilah Abraham

Suzzanne Douglas

Angela

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

95%

93%

Hundreds of Beavers

TRAILER

for Hundreds of Beavers

67%

29%

The Stranger

TRAILER

for The Stranger

50%

92%

The Stolen Valley

TRAILER

for The Stolen Valley

93%

95%

Dune: Part Two

TRAILER

for Dune: Part Two

71%

60%

Immaculate

TRAILER

for Immaculate

82%

75%

In the Land of Saints and Sinners

TRAILER

for In the Land of Saints and Sinners

69%

86%

Sweet Dreams

TRAILER

for Sweet Dreams

56%

84%

DogMan

TRAILER

for DogMan

%

40%

Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer

%

%

An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th

TRAILER

for An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Definitive Angela Bassett Roles

Globes and Oscars Speak Different (Foreign) Languages

In Other News…A Domino Death, Stella’s Groove, and Jennifer Tilly

View more photos

Duane Byrge

Hollywood Reporter

Adapted from Terry McMillan's ribald, heartfelt novel and starring Angela Bassett in the title role, Stella's got plenty of style and brains. It's a sexier, sassier version of Hollywood's old-time romancers.

Sep 3, 2020

Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Whoopi Goldberg adds a whole lotta jerk pork as the heroine’s best friend in a plot devoid of real conflict...

Rated: C-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

The movie meanders on and on, like a bad sexual dream, until you finally wake up mumbling: Stella, please: leave that groove thang alone.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 12, 2002

Full Review

David Ehrenstein

New Times

The timing couldn't be better for How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

Oct 3, 2017

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Rated: 4/5

Feb 21, 2008

Full Review

Lori Hoffman

Atlantic City Weekly

Rated: 3/5

Apr 20, 2007

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Unlucky-in-love stockbroker Stella (Angela Bassett) jets to Jamaica with her gal pal Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg) for some fun in the sun. There, the 40-year-old working woman has an island fling with Winston (Taye Diggs) -- a handsome 20-something. When it's time to return to California, Stella realizes that she's developed real feelings for her new man. But, with their distance from each other, not to mention their disparity in age, does a real relationship stand a chance?

Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Executive Producer: Ronald Bass, Terry McMillan, Jennifer Ogden
Screenwriter: Terry McMillan, Ronald Bass
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 14, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.7M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1), 35mm

Most Popular at Home Now