Waiting to Exhale 1995

Four friends — Savannah, Robin, Bernadine, and Gloria — gather regularly to support one another, share their hopes, and vent about life and love. They each want to be in a romantic relationship, but they each have difficulties finding a good man.

Savannah, a successful television producer, clings to the belief that a married lover will eventually leave his wife for her. She comes to realize that he won’t, and she must find a partner who loves her for who she really is.

Bernadine, who sacrificed her career to raise a family, learns that her husband is leaving her for a white woman with whom he works. This revelation plunges her into an emotional tailspin and a fierce fight over assets: she burns his car, clothes, and some belongings, and even sells the rest of his things for a dollar each, while he retaliates by draining their bank accounts.

Robin, a high-powered executive and the long-time mistress of a married man, after ending the affair, faces difficulties in finding someone truly suitable.

Gloria, a single mother and beauty salon owner, learns from her ex-husband that he was always bisexual and now identifies as gay. She eventually falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin King.

The stories gradually move toward hopeful turns. Savannah ends the relationship with her married lover for good. Bernadine secures a large divorce settlement and finds love with a married civil rights attorney who has a terminally ill wife at home, yet encourages her to pursue her catering dream. Robin becomes pregnant by her married lover but decides to end the relationship and raise the baby on her own. Gloria apologizes to her neighbor for snapping at him when he suggested she let her son experience the world, and she learns to let him go on an “Up with People” trip to Spain. In the process, she finds love while discovering the importance of taking care of herself, rather than sacrificing everything for her son and her business.