How Stella Got her Groove Back plot summary

How Stella Got Her Groove Back
How Stella Got her Groove Back plot summary

Theatrical release poster

Directed byKevin Rodney Sullivan
Screenplay by

  • Terry McMillan
  • Ron Bass

Based onHow Stella Got Her Groove Back
by Terry McMillan
Produced byDeborah Schindler
Starring

  • Angela Bassett
  • Taye Diggs
  • Regina King
  • Whoopi Goldberg

CinematographyJeffrey Jur
Edited byGeorge Bowers
Music byMichel Colombier

Production
company

20th Century Fox

Distributed by20th Century Fox

Release date

  • August 14, 1998

Running time

125 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[2]
Box office$39.2 million[2]

How Stella Got Her Groove Back is a 1998 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan, adapted from Terry McMillan's best-selling 1996 novel of the same title. The film stars Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs (in his film debut), Whoopi Goldberg, and Regina King. The original music score was composed by Michel Colombier.[3]

Plot[edit]

How Stella Got her Groove Back plot summary

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2020)

Stella Payne is a very successful 40-year-old stockbroker raising her son, Quincy, and living in Marin County, California, who is persuaded by her best friend from college, Delilah Abraham, to take a well-deserved, first-class vacation to Montego Bay, Jamaica. As she soaks in the beauty of the island, she encounters a handsome young islander, Winston Shakespeare, who is twenty years her junior. His pursuit of her turns into a blossoming romance that forces Stella to take personal inventory of her life and try to find a balance between her desire for love and companionship, and her responsibilities as a mother and corporate executive.

Cast[edit]

  • Angela Bassett as Stella Payne
  • Taye Diggs as Winston Shakespeare
  • Whoopi Goldberg as Delilah Abraham
  • Regina King as Vanessa
  • Suzzanne Douglas as Angela
  • Michael J. Pagan as Quincy Payne
  • Sicily as Chantel
  • Richard Lawson as Jack
  • Barry Shabaka Henley as Buddy
  • Lee Weaver as Nate
  • Glynn Turman as Dr. Shakespeare
  • Phyllis Yvonne Stickney as Mrs. Shakespeare
  • Denise Hunt as Ms. Thang
  • James Pickens, Jr. as Walter Payne
  • Carl Lumbly as Judge Spencer Boyle
  • Victor Garber (uncredited) as Isaac

Reception[edit]

The reception from critics was mixed.[4][5][6]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Angela Bassett gracefully breezes through a hot summer fling without much conflict or ado, leaving us wondering when -- or if -- she's ever getting that groove back."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 56 out of 100, based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A−.[9]

Box office[edit]

In its opening weekend, Stella grossed $11,318,919, ranking #2 in the domestic box office behind Saving Private Ryan's fourth weekend.[10] The film would go on to gross $36,672,941 domestically and an additional $1,605,781 overseas for a worldwide total of $39,278,722, from an estimated $20 million budget.[2]

Soundtrack[edit]

A soundtrack containing mostly R&B and reggae was released on August 11, 1998, by MCA Records. It peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and was certified gold on September 22, 1998.

Accolades[edit]

1999 Acapulco Black Film Festival
  • Best Actress – Angela Bassett (won)
  • Best Actor – Taye Diggs (nominated)
  • Best Actress – Whoopi Goldberg (won)
  • Best Director – Kevin Rodney Sullivan (nominated)
  • Best Film (won)
  • Best Screenplay – Terry McMillan (nominated)
  • Best Soundtrack (won)
1999 NAACP Image Awards
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture – Angela Bassett (won)
  • Outstanding Motion Picture (won)
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Whoopi Goldberg (won)
  • Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress – Michael J. Pagan (won)

See also[edit]

  • Shirley Valentine

References[edit]

  1. ^ "HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 1998-11-17. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  2. ^ a b c How Stella Got Her Groove Back at Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ Gene Seymour (August 21, 1998). "Angela Bassett Reaches a Stellar Groove at Last". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  4. ^ Stephen Holden (August 14, 1998). "FILM REVIEW; He Likes Video Games? Nobody's Perfect". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  5. ^ Margaret A. McGurk (August 14, 1998). "Bassett gets her groove". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  6. ^ Roger Ebert (August 14, 1998). "How Stella Got Her Groove Back". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  7. ^ "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  8. ^ "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" – via www.metacritic.com.
  9. ^ HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK (1998) Archived 2018-12-20 at the Wayback Machine CinemaScore
  10. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for August 14-16, 1998". Amazon.com. Box Office Mojo. 1998-08-17. Retrieved 2013-02-03.

  • How Stella Got Her Groove Back at IMDb
  • How Stella Got Her Groove Back at AllMovie
  • How Stella Got Her Groove Back at Box Office Mojo
  • How Stella Got Her Groove Back at Rotten Tomatoes
  • How Stella Got Her Groove Back at Metacritic
    How Stella Got her Groove Back plot summary

What is the plot of When Stella Got Her Groove Back?

The movie stars Angela Bassett as Stella, a divorced mom and high-powered San Francisco trader who, as the movie opens, is promising a client a guaranteed 65 percent return on some Russian bonds. Her personal life is lonely, and her sisters advise her to find a man.

What was wrong with Delilah in How Stella Got Her Groove Back?

Sure enough, Delilah has cancer. Despite everything, Bassett and Goldberg make the scene an effective one.

Did Stella Ever Get Her Groove Back?

Stella got her groove back exactly 24 years ago this week — allegedly. In August 1998 when How Stella Got Her Groove Back premiered, Taye Diggs was a relatively-unknown Broadway actor (having starred in a little musical called Rent), and Angela Bassett was, well, Angela Bassett.

Did Stella and Winston stay together?

It wasn't until just before last Christmas, Plummer says, that the two finally split -- after he revealed he was gay.