I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Blistering performances.

Picture if you will, Stella (Angela Bassett). She's single...she's rich...she's got a great job--but, alas, no "on paper" man in her life that will make her feel complete. So, she goes off to Jamaica with her oldest and dearest friend (Whoopi Goldberg) in desperate search of her "groove." In the land of sand and sunlight, she happens upon Winston Shakespeare (Taye Diggs), who is half her age and finer than frog hair, and she is in a dilemma about exactly how she should handle the situation. I wish I had her problems, trust me.If I were Stella and had someone like Winston chasing after me, I'd be on him faster than a duck on a june bug...however, practical Stella is all caught up on the age thing...is anyone still with me? He's hot, he's young, and he's after me, and I'm going to QUESTION that? My first question would be where do we put the furniture, but, no--it takes the death of a good friend to make her embrace the fact that she should give into something as, uh-hem, debatable as Taye Diggs...OK, ladies, are you with me? In unison--"GIVE ME A BREAK!" If you're still on the fence, rewind and watch that pool scene again. I'm waiting. OK--now, we're all on the same page.This premise is flawed as flawed can be. I don't care if she has a child--any woman with a child should have her thinking cap firmly in place atop her head to know if he was a true, purebred dog, you'd have known it by the next morning, and still wow your girlfriends with the tale. He has been nothing but gallant, and yet we're supposed to sympathize with her...I don't think so.Stella creates her own drama while most of us would have been riding off into the sunset. In the end, the Terry McMillan autobiographical version didn't go EXACTLY as planned, but, hey, in a perfect world Stella had it going on from the get go. The "groove" could be, and in the movie was, reaffirmed in the shower. If my only problem is we don't like the same movies, I can assure you I would have forgotten about it by the first shower scene. But, if having to see Regina King made it all work out, I'm all for it. She's great as always.

The first time I saw this movie I wanted to immediately hop a plane to Jamaica! I don't think it was the "meet the man of my dreams" part, but the scenery. It was just breathtaking (although the men aren't too bad to look at either!). As for the story, it was a good distraction from typical reality, because, let's face it ladies, we believe that doesn't happen everyday (especially to ourselves). The soundtrack was another good part of the movie, I just loved it. This movie is the kind that gives you hope for true romantic love, but in this cynical day and age most people don't let themselves be pulled in, or fooled, by the seemingly unrealistic situation. For those of us with a little romance still left, this is a wonderful movie. For those without, I'm sorry. (These are my thoughts excluding the latest headlines, I don't want to spoil my original feeling toward the movie).

On a rainy, dreary day recently I popped this movie in looking for light and comedic entertainment. I was disappointed. The movie starts with Stella in a bad mood, with a magnificent job and a home that I noticed was so nice, it had a reflecting pool. I watched as Stella moaned and complained about her ex, her job, her life, ad nauseum. Angela Bassett's portrayal of Stella was one of anger however I admired her buff physique, left over from her Tina Turner portrayal which was excellent. So I tried to find sympathy for Stella. However, the director never gave we, the viewers, any reason or background to feel any sorrow or empathy for Stella. She had it all. When Stella takes her vacation to Jamaica and meets William Shakespeare (Taye Diggs), it was hard to work up any enthusiasm because she was so angry, angry at the world. However, the scenery in the film was breathtaking and the age difference between the two seemed a bit much but did not interfere with what could have been a great love story. It bothered Stella more than it did me. Still Stella remained ungrooved.Caution ***Movie Spoiler*** Upon returning home from a dream vacation, Stella loses her job and upon the advice of her good friend Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg), goes back to Jamaica which told me that losing her job did not affect her high-flying lifestyle. If only Stella appreciated her circumstances as much as I did. In summary, I saw Stella as not having a "groove" and Bassett carried her character through the movie with such anger, I felt myself recoiling from her verbal barbs and angry displays toward William, his parents, and all those around her. Only when she finds out Delilah's secret, does she drop the angry attitude and pity party to help someone else. Because we were never given a reason to feel any compassion or sympathy with Stella, it is my opinion that Stella Never Had a Groove to get back. Bassett stomped her way through this role as if Ike were chasing her in that other movie; and I would have much rather had more access to Delilah's world. Taye Diggs did what he does best which is to look great. All in all, How Stella Got Her Groove Back is less that what I expect from actress Angela Bassett.

If you like niche movies, you get three for one here, all bad. It's a black movie. It's a yuppie movie. It's a woman's movie. And it's a bad movie, made worse by the blatant promotion of Jamaica tourism. The story develops with the pace of a geriatric snail. Its premise of a May and December relationship is absurd. The music, of which there is too much, is bland disco noise. Most surprising is that the excellent Whoopi Goldberg plays a minor role. If indeed her career is faltering, this embarrassing turkey won't help it.