Our Flick of the Week is “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” but after seeing the picture I don’t know how. Not a good sign.
Stella (Angela Bassett) is a divorced mother of a young son and a successful stockbroker whose portfolio of men is a diminishing asset. To rectify that, she plans a Jamaican vacation with her best pal (Whoopi Goldberg), where she has the good fortune to meet a real hunk (newcomer Taye Diggs, who can act but has an even bigger career as long as he keeps his shirt off).
But there are problems in paradise: She’s 40; he’s only 20. That rankles her disapproving sister, and Goldberg is of little help either as Bassett’s character flits between the mainland and the islands.
What are we supposed to think? If you can find a great-looking mate, life will be more beautiful? Who wrote this screenplay, the Jamaican Tourist Board?
Looking at two beautiful people for close to two hours is easy on the eyes; unfortunately, however, there is nothing in “Stella” to stimulate what’s behind the eyes. Rated R. (star) (star)