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This Samuel Goldwyn Jr. remake of his father's beloved 1947 comedy THE BISHOP'S WIFE (originally conceived by Robert E. Sherwood and Leonardo Bercovici) was directed by Penny Marshall with an all-black cast and a new script (by Nat Mauldin and Allan Scott) that resets the feel-good fantasy in a New York Baptist church.
This gives a good excuse for a number of excellent hymns and songs by Whitney Houston (in the Loretta Young role), who sparkles and sets the neo-note for this transplant. She really shines on the screen.
The writing is still sharp and the characters warmly conceived: Courtney B. Vance (in the David Niven role) conveys the alternating moods of a man of the cloth slowly losing faith in his God and flock; Denzel Washington (who was instrumental in getting the film produced) is the timeless, amusing angel Dudley that was originally etched by Cary Grant, and plays him with soft-spoken subtlety; Gregory Hines endows the only villain of the piece with good-natured charm; and newcomer Justin Pierre Edmund is good as the preacher's adolescent son, milking the role for all the tears it can bring.
The chemistry and music are what ultimately make this bit of old-fashioned hokum work, as there are virtually no special effects or tricked up situations. Sometimes you just have to forget about all the blood and gore and watch something that warms the cockles of your heart.