Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes
Susan Stark, Detroit News: For all the pleasure there is in seeing effective, great-looking black women grappling with major life issues on screen, Waiting to Exhale is an uneven piece. Read more
Stephen Holden, New York Times: Read more
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A pleasant if undemanding piece of work that is diverting to sit through though it won't stand up to any kind of rigorous examination. Read more
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Never escapes the queasy aura of Melrose Place: just another story about beautiful people with small problems. Read more
James Berardinelli, ReelViews: With the exception of Bernadine, I never felt anything for the women populating this film, as they failed to capture my interest or sympathy. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: An escapist fantasy that women in the audience can enjoy by musing, 'I wish I had her problems' - and her car, house, wardrobe, figure and men, even wrong men. Read more
Joan Walsh, Salon.com: The male-bashing taken to an extreme in Waiting to Exhale is starting to seem a little like crack for the female psyche, exhilarating in the short term but ultimately crippling and dangerous. Read more
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle: You want the movie to stomp and rejoice and cry like a fool; instead it meanders and lollygags, occasionally flaring up, then sputtering again. Read more
Desson Thomson, Washington Post: This sister-celebratory adaptation of Terry McMillan's best-selling book is frequently delightful. Read more