CINEMA: TESTING THE FAITH

CAN THE PREACHER'S WIFE SHAKE UP HOLLYWOOD'S FIRM BELIEF THAT WHITES WON'T GO TO BLACK MOVIES?

In most ways The Preacher's Wife is as traditional a Christmas confection as fossilized fruitcake. It has a big budget, big stars and a heartwarming rendition of Joy to the World. The songs are sung by diva Whitney Houston, who plays the wife of a disillusioned minister. Her co-star, Denzel Washington, is a sexy angel who wants to save Houston's neighborhood church as well as her troubled marriage. On paper, the movie looks as if it has all the ingredients for a box-office slam dunk. But there's one thing missing: white people.

The executives who run Hollywood have long believed that...

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