This is a very happy, feel good romantic comedy with many elements of that cute sweetness that just makes you smile. "The Preacher's Wife" is an interesting watch as it does not follow the usual formula of a romantic comedy - that is, two people are identified as being the couple who will eventually fall in love. You see, the 'romantic' element that comes into this involves the Preacher's Wife, Julia Biggs - however, not particularly with her *husband*! This is NOT as bad as it sounds...

Here is the 'happy' Biggs family, however, despite trying to do so much good for their community, through the church that they maintain, bad luck seems to have fallen upon them.

This is where Dudley (Washington) the Angel comes into play. Dudley died young without ever having a chance to fall in love, so, it is his luck that when he is sent back to earth to help his designated family - he finds himself falling in love - with who else but the beautiful Whitney Houston - who just happens to be the Preacher's wife.

Dudley knows this is not his purpose here, so continues to do all he can to help Reverend Henry, who himself does not believe that Dudley is his guardian Angel, and thus, Henry allows himself to become annoyed with this new comer in his life. Dudley does manage to impress everyone else in the household however, so much so that the Henry feels he is losing his whole life to Dudley - instead of feeling as though he's being helped by him, as Dudley has told him he's there to do.

As Dudley is pushed out of Henry's life, he is seemingly pulled into Julia's, making her laugh for the first time in a while. Her young life is so sad at this time because her family's life with the church is falling apart. Without the support of her husband she turns to Dudley.

This is a PG movie, and as would be expected (and it *would* have been inappropriate in this context) she is not at all unfaithful to her husband, nor does Dudley expect her to be.

The sweetness about this movie is how Dudley falls in love for the first time, but has to admire from afar as he completes his mission and watches the family resume their previous happiness - as they forget all about him.

For a few seconds this movie becomes bittersweet, as we see Dudley take his final glance of his first love before she walks away, never to recognise him again.

He leaves happily though, and so do we - the audience - because this movie has a sweet tone about it, but the story is refreshingly new. Houston and Washington's chemistry isn't all that bad either!

"You Were Loved"

We all want to make a place in this world

We all want our voices to be heard

Everyone wants a chance to be someone

We all have dreams we need to dream

Sweeter than any star you can reach

That's when you reach and find

You've found someone

You'll hold this world's most priceless pain

The greatest gift this life can bring

Is when you look back and know

You were loved

Chorus:

You were loved by someone

Touched by someone

Held by someone

Meant something to someone

Loved somebody

Touched somebody's heart along the way

You can look back and say

You were loved

You can have diamonds in your hands

Have all the riches in the land

But without love

You don't really have a thing no no

Would somebody care that you're alive

Would somebody trust you with their life

That's when you know that you have all you need

You hold this world's most priceless gift

The finest treasure that there is

When you can look back and know

You were loved

Chorus

So many roads that you can take

Whatever way you go

Don't take that road alone

It's better you should know...

Chorus

So remember to tell that special one

You were loved.. you were loved...

This fine song, featured on the soundtrack for the movie, sums up quite well just why we are left feeling happy, as this is what Dudley has been left with. It's quite possible that the song entitled "My Heart Is Calling" (playing during the ice skating scene) is from Julia's point of view and how she was feeling at that particular point in time. However, "I Believe in You and Me" is most likely to be about she and her husband, which kind of sums up the extremely potential love triangle we are left waiting for to develop.

Check out the rest of the songs, primarily by Whitney Houston, on the soundtrack produced by ARISTA records.

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