A while ago, actually probably over a year ago now, I was on Twitter just seeing what people were up to and someone posed the question, what was the best cameo someone’s had in a movie?
This question garnered a lot of comments. As I read through them, many good cameos were mentioned, however my favorite was left out. I don’t remember if I chimed in and offered this one to the Twitterverse, but in today’s long overdue entry in Movie Scenes I Love, I gladly bring it to you.
What scene is this you ask? Why it’s the scene from “Waiting to Exhale” where Wesley Snipes joins Angela Basset at the hotel bar!
When I tell you I absolutely love that scene!
I was 16* when that movie came out. Hearing all the buzz surrounding it, I don’t ever think I’d been so excited to see a movie before this one. So excited, in fact, was I, that I made a point of reading the entire book before the film debuted. And that’s saying something for me because I’m not much of a reader (though I’d like to be…now I’d like to be).
I read the book and loved it – thought it was so good—fueling my anticipation for the movie even more. Then I saw the movie. You know how they say read the book first because the book is always better than the movie? Well, that was the case in this situation. That’s precisely why now I suggest to watch the movie first then read the book. It just may help stave off some disappointment. Matter-of-fact, you won’t even know to be disappointed yet, unless the movies just that awful.
Reading the book first, you just know so much more than can possibly fit in the movie. I wonder how I would have perceived the movie if I didn’t read the book first. Because I enjoyed the book so much, the movie, initially for me, was somewhat disappointing.
Now that I’m older and have read more books and even a few scripts, I understand a bit more about how hard it is to condense over 400 pages into a two hour ( 120 pages of mainly dialogue) movie.
But over time, I grew to like the movie more and more. I think perhaps for no other reason than it’s easier to watch a movie over and over again than it is to repeatedly read a book. Though I will say, “Waiting to Exhale” is one of only a few books I’ve read more than once. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is another…actually, right now I can’t think of a third, but I know there must be one…hmmm.
Also, I keep watching it again and again for the culture. Sometimes I just need to see a decent, black film. I love a good romantic-comedy, romantic-drama, just anything with a juicy love story and most of the ones I watch have predominately white casts, so it’s just nice to throw black ones into the mix whenever I can.
When “Waiting to Exhale” came out, I think I saw it in the theatre three times – twice I paid for it, the other I snuck in. Though I wasn’t really into it initially, I could tell it was a part of something big for black women and I guess I just wanted to soak that in.
The theatre was always crowded when I went to see it, and even though I wasn’t too impressed with the movie at that time, I was always enamored with the scene where Wesley Snipes showed up on the screen. That scene where Angela Bassett’s character Bernadine goes to a hotel bar alone after having a bad day in divorce court with her ex-husband, then next thing you know, she has company.
Wesley Snipes was a pretty big deal back then; he was a box office king. Meanwhile, “Waiting to Exhale,” was almost like the little movie that could. So seeing him show up was so unexpected** – kind of a big deal. And also the way it was shot and edited – we hear him before we see him. The tease of that unmistakable dark-chocolate hand on the seat next to hers. That telling bravado of his baritone voice leaving you thinking: That can’t be? Wait is it? Then, yes, it is! when the camera reveals the ultimate unexpected. Hearing everyone’s reaction in the theatre – it was just so fun.
I don’t know, overall, I just thought this was such a beautiful scene—stuff that happens only in the movies.
Ever since I saw it, I’ve always wanted to do that – go to a fancy hotel and have a drink at the bar alone. I’ve traveled alone, I’ve dined alone, but I’ve never been to a hotel bar alone (Oh wait, I did have a drink at a bar alone in Paris, but no one was in there except me and a couple, and it wasn’t in a hotel, so that doesn’t really count. I didn’t stay long. I was in and out.). I’ve been to professional conferences at nice hotels where I had the perfect excuse to go there alone and still steered clear of the bar, walking by wanting to go but not having the nerve, I headed for the ice cream shop instead, or the food court, the boardwalk outside, but not the bar.
Maybe one day I’ll find the nerve.
Perhaps on my next solo vacation…perhaps locally…perhaps never.
*Watched the trailer after I wrote this, I was actually 15 when this came out.
**Watched the trailer after I wrote this and realized that Wesley Snipes was in the trailer, but as I remembered it, his appearance was unexpected and got a reaction out of women every time. But maybe that was because he was also a sex-symbol back then too.
Isn’t it funny how we remember things?
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