The story is sweet and traditional fare for this time of year. A preacher who feels he has lost his direction and effectiveness prays to the Lord for some help. And voila! so appears the angel Dudley. The similarity between The Preacher's Wife and Its a Wonderful life is obvious, except the angel appears at the beginning of the movie and steals the whole show. But since it is the fiftieth anniversary of Its A Wonderful Life there certainly are worse tributes to that great American classics, although The Preacher's Wife will not have such a long life. Indeed, its rather like a huge box of candy. its great when you're eating it, but after you've finished your feel ultimately unsatisfied, and will probably end up with cavities. In the same way, the film is fine while you're experiencing it, but afterwards there is a certain something that the film lacks.

What it does not lack is a gorgeous pair of stars. Denzel Washington is most delightful as the angel Dudley, resplendent in his Giorgio Armani suit. And Whitney Houston and her vocal chords are also in full bloom. Personally, I found it somewhat comforting that the angel Dudley looked so good. If all angels had to wear those hideous robes that look like bed sheets, heaven would be a pretty dull place. give me Denzel in Armani any day!

So while Denzel looking like he stepped off a page in Gentleman's Quarterly seemed highly appropriate, Whitney Houston's costumes seemed equally inappropriate. Dudley was sent to earth to help out a struggling parish called St. Matthew's. And for the most part, they were certainly struggling. The boiler blows up, there is no money to help out the youth program, and the preacher and his son show evidence that they too struggle to make do. But not so the preacher's wife, alias, Ms. Houston. She was as well dressed as the angel Dudley, if not better, and had no shortage of wardrobe, featuring top fashion clothes, perfectly coordinated with shoes, bags and jewelry.

And if Whitney's clothes were a little jarring, then her singing became downright annoying. Yes, she has a wonderful voice, and she looks greats, but since the movie is called The preacher's Wife and not 90 minutes watching Whitney's jaw shake maybe there should have been some reevaluation about the proportion of camera time spent on Whitney's vocal chords. Still, at least she was moved by her performance, even if no one else was.

And since so much time is spent on Whitney's vibrato, often times the plot - thin as it is - is left unexplained. it's obvious that the villain on the movie is the rich and somewhat satanic Gregory Hines, but we never really understand who or what he is - or why. I guess its just as important as the tinfoil on the candy - a necessary but easily discarded evil. And the rouse to get Whitney center stage to play Mary in the nativity play is too lame to even be called pathetic.

So, overall, I really did enjoy this movie, at least while I was there. Its a harmless enough way to take a break from all the hustle and bustle of the season, and I guess the ultimate message reinforces family values which sometimes get a little lost. But by this time next year, we will have forgotten this film ever existed.