Waiting to Exhale

Waiting to Exhale has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Starz Apple TV Channel. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. With 207 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Whitney Houston sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight on Disney Plus and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Waiting to Exhale earns its spot. The jokes in Waiting to Exhale land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Cheated on, mistreated and stepped on, the women are holding their breath, waiting for the elusive "good man" to break a string of less-than-stellar lovers. Friends and confidants Vannah, Bernie, Glo and Robin talk it all out, determined to find a better way to breathe. Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1995. What keeps Waiting to Exhale from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For viewers who want something light without wanting something stupid, Waiting to Exhale respects your intelligence. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Whitney Houston's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.