History Literature / WaitingToExhale

A 1992 novel by Creator/TerriMcMillian, later made into a 1995 film adaptation directed by Creator/ForestWhitaker.

* CultSoundtrack: The soundtrack had several Billboard hits and went 7x platinum. Its three lead singles were "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" by Houston, "Sitting Up In My Room" by Music/{{Brandy}}, and "Not Gon' Cry" by Music/MaryJBlige.

* CultSoundtrack: The soundtrack had several Billboard hits and went 7x platinum.

* AllMenArePerverts: Except for James. Subverted with [[ChivalrousPervert Marvin]], who's apparently a ChubbyChaser but genuinely loves and respects Gloria. Notably, both are the ''only'' men in this film who aren't shown suffering from mass cases of YourCheatingHeart.

--> '''Bernardine''': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGwV4mrOCJo "GET YO' SHIT, GET YO' SHIT AND GET OUT!!"]]
* YourCheatingHeart: All over the place! All four women are either victims (Gloria, Bernadine) or active participants (Savannah, Robin), while all but ''two'' of the men who are prominently featured indulge in it.

* AllMenArePerverts: Except for James.

--> '''Bernardine''': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGwV4mrOCJo "GET YO' SHIT, GET YO' SHIT AND GET OUT!!"]]

A 1992 novel by Terry [=McMillan=], later made into a 1995 film adaptation directed by Creator/ForestWhitaker.

--> '''Bernardine''': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGwV4mrOCJo "GET YO' SHIT, GET YO' SHIT AND GET OUT!!"]]
* YourCheatingHeart: Almost all of the main male cast. A word to the wise for straight men: this is ''not'' a good date movie!

Savannah Jackson (Music/WhitneyHouston) is a successful television producer who holds on to the belief that one day her married lover (Creator/DennisHaysbert) will leave his wife for her. Bernadine Harris (Creator/AngelaBassett) abandoned her own career and desires of having a catering business to raise a family. Her husband (Michael Beach) is now leaving her for a white woman. Robin Stokes (Lela Rochon) is a high powered executive and the long-time mistress of Russell (Leon Robinson). She has problems finding a decent man of her own, while waiting for Russell to leave his wife. Gloria Matthews (Creator/LorettaDevine) is a beauty salon owner and single mother raising a teenage son (Donald Faison) who is preparing to leave home and travel the world with Up With People. After years alone, she falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin King (Gregory Hines).

Savannah Jackson (Music/WhitneyHouston) is a successful television producer who holds on to the belief that one day her married lover (Creator/DennisHaysbert) will leave his wife for her. Bernadine Harris (Creator/AngelaBassett) abandoned her own career and desires of having a catering business to raise a family. Her husband (Michael Beach) is now leaving her for a white woman. Robin Stokes (Lela Rochon) is a high powered executive and the long-time mistress of Russell (Leon Robinson). She has problems finding a decent man of her own, while waiting for Russell to leave his wife. Gloria Matthews (Loretta Devine) is a beauty salon owner and single mother raising a teenage son (Donald Faison) who is preparing to leave home and travel the world with Up With People. After years alone, she falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin King (Gregory Hines).

* TheMistress: The white woman Bernadine's husband was with, and also Robin to Russell.

* BigBeautifulWoman: Gloria.

* AllMenArePerverts

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: This is what the movie is mostly about, except it's more about humiliating men and making them pay for their {{Jerkass}}ery and their ungratefulness than killing them.

Savannah Jackson (Music/WhitneyHouston) is a successful television producer who holds on to the belief that one day her married lover (Dennis Haysbert) will leave his wife for her. Bernadine Harris (Creator/AngelaBassett) abandoned her own career and desires of having a catering business to raise a family. Her husband (Michael Beach) is now leaving her for a white woman. Robin Stokes (Lela Rochon) is a high powered executive and the long-time mistress of Russell (Leon Robinson). She has problems finding a decent man of her own, while waiting for Russell to leave his wife. Gloria Matthews (Loretta Devine) is a beauty salon owner and single mother raising a teenage son (Donald Faison) who is preparing to leave home and travel the world with Up With People. After years alone, she falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin King (Gregory Hines).

* YourCheatingHeart: Almost all of the main male cast.

[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-WaitingExhale_7337.jpg]]

A novel by Terry [=McMillan=], later made into a movie in 1995. ''Getting to Happy'', a sequel, was released in 2010.

* BreakUpBonfire

* DefenestrateAndBerate- Bernadine gets dumped by her husband for another woman. This is after she's spent the last 11 years sacrificing her dreams of owning her own business to help him build his. Her reaction? Taking his entire very expensive wardrobe, stuffing it in his very expensive car and setting the whole shebang on fire. And what she couldn't get in the car, she sold. For a dollar.

* AllStarCast: Very much so. The movie had pretty much all of the famous black actors of the 90's.
* BigBeautifulWoman: Gloria

* ChickFlick - Subverted. About women but embittered, vengeful and disillusioned instead of all smiley and fluffy with BabiesEverAfter.

* IncompatibleOrientation- Gloria finds out her ex-husband is gay after trying to seduce him when he comes to visit.
* LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek - A particularly egregious full-length example but it still better than average.
* TheMistress- The white woman Bernadine's husband was with, and also Robin to Russell.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge / RevengeAgainstMen: This is what the movie is mostly about, except it's more about humiliating men and making them pay for their {{Jerkass}}ery and their ungratefulness than killing them.
* [[BrosBeforeHoes Sisters Before Misters]]: The whole [[AnAesop aesop]] of the film. Friendship and "sisterhood" are much better assets to a woman's life than being TheMistress of a married man who leads you on so as to have sex with another woman than his wife.

!!!Tropes:

* AbuseIsOkayWhenItIsFemaleOnMale: Justified almost every single time. Most guys are such assholes in this movie that it's a wonder why a sane woman would even bother give them any time of the day.