The Preacher's Wife

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The Preacher's Wife

PG

Released Dec 13, 1996

2h 4m

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

39%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

A cleric begins to doubt himself and is visited by an angel. The heavenly emissary is supposed to help the good reverend over his midlife crisis, but he is distracted by the cleric's lovely young wife. A remake with gospel music of the "The Bishop's Wife".

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Critics Consensus

Solid performances and a steady directorial hand help The Preacher's Wife offer some reliably heartwarming - albeit fairly predictable - holiday cheer.

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: A-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Esther Iverem

Washington Post

There are many good reasons for going to see The Preacher's Wife.

Sep 24, 2002

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Peter Stack

San Francisco Chronicle

The Preacher's Wife qualifies as old-fashioned Hollywood movie making at its corniest and most saccharine. But the mostly African American cast puts an engaging spin on the chestnut, and it works beautifully.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 18, 2002

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

That’s the case with The Preacher’s Wife, a film that takes the classic black-and-white film The Bishop’s Wife and turns it into a glossier, minimally inspiring film.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 26, 2022

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Incredible music and Denzel and Whitney have fantastic chemistry

Aug 2, 2022

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Dana Harris

Newhouse News Service

While the movie has heartwarming stamped all over it, the plot stacks the deck against this light comedy with a dark undercurrent of marital insecurity, failure of leadership and testing one's faith.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 6, 2019

Full Review

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Farah R

A heartwarming story albeit heavy-handed with the cheesiness, The Preacher’s Wife proves that Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston can cure even the most predictable of films.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/14/25

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Vincent B

Finally a film about an angel instead of a demon, this is too rare. Beautiful family film, warm your hearts. Perfect for Christmas or thanksgiving.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/19/25

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Dave C

The plot really doesn't do the premise justice at all, but the performances are really good, and the singing is top quality (of course!). These - along with the heart-warming core, are what make this a solid 'Sunday watch'. Its snagging points and inconsistencies are what kick this down a rating point or two...

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/06/25

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Isaiah S

Fine movie, theatrically. Hated the plot. God sent an angel to orchestrate an affair in order to fear monger a hard working, God fearing man to change his ways?? Yeah, no that sounds like the devil.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/24/24

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Stephen W

WELL, basically it seems like a VERY watered down version of The Bishops Wife with Cary Grant as the Angel! , this one has hardly any supernormal powers in it........ some parts of the film were adequate, but overall had a feeling of unsatisfied relief when it ended! The Bishops Wife in comparison is WONDERFUL! lots of supernormal powers done in a rich feeling way that gave you a tingle of heavenly power! I watch it every year at Christmas, while this Preachers Wife, never again thankyou!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/18/24

Full Review

Stinson P

The Preacher’s Wife is a fun watch for the holidays and while lacking in a few plot points, it’s made up by the strong energy of the cast led by a striking performance including a few musical numbers by Whitney Houston and a charming performance by Denzel Washington. Perfect Christmas family-friendly film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/18/24

Full Review

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Penny Marshall

Director

Denzel Washington

Dudley

Whitney Houston

Julia Biggs

Courtney B. Vance

Reverend Henry Biggs

Gregory Hines

Joe Hamilton

Justin Pierre Edmund

Jeremiah Biggs

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The Preacher's Wife: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A cleric begins to doubt himself and is visited by an angel. The heavenly emissary is supposed to help the good reverend over his midlife crisis, but he is distracted by the cleric's lovely young wife. A remake with gospel music of the "The Bishop's Wife".

Director: Penny Marshall
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn Jr.
Screenwriter: Nat Mauldin, Allan Scott
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Mundy Lane Entertainment
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 13, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 3, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $48.1M
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround

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