Its a Love Thang Boxset (1995)

"[Brown] Delightful love story.  Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle
"[Brown] Sweet. The pun is unavoidable. It's the only adjective that fully captures the flavor of the romantic comedy...  Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
"[Waiting] ...humorous observations, irrefutable truths and good performances that make this movie worthwhile...  Christine James, Box Office Magazine
"[Waiting to Exhale] ...a glamorous, lush, romantic film.  Los Angeles Times
"[How Stella...] This movie delivers. Angela is a beauty of blazing talents, Whoopi is wonderful.  Rolling Stone
"[How] ...sexy and sassy. Angela and Whoopi give A+ performances...  WWOR-TV
"[Brown Sugar] Smart and consistently funny, with sharp performances.  J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader
"[Brown Sugar] Fresh, fast and right on righteous.  Northwest Cable News
"[How Stella...] Sexy and sassy. Angela and Whoopi give A+ performances!  Pat Collins, WWOR-TV
"[Waiting to Exhale] Angela Bassett as Bernadine ignites the screen like an acetylene torch.  Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

Editor's Note This triple feature contains the romantic dramas BROWN SUGAR, HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK, and WAITING TO EXHALE. See individual titles for details.

	Angela Bassett
	Gregory Hines
	Loretta Devine
	Mos Def
	Queen Latifah
	Regina King
	Sanaa Lathan
	Taye Diggs
	Whitney Houston
	Whoopi Goldberg
	Forest Whitaker - [Waiting] Director
	Kevin Rodney Sullivan - [How] Director
	Rick Famuyiwa - [Brown] Director

ReelViews 8 of 10
[How Stella...] You don't have to be an astute student of social trends to recognize that, when it comes to romance and age, American culture is characterized by a severe double standard. While it's perfectly acceptable for an older man to cavort with a much younger woman, if the genders are reversed, it comes close to being a scandal. That's why, on screen, Humphrey Bogart can be romantically linked with Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca), Harrison Ford can pair up with Julia Ormond (Sabrina) or Anne Heche (Six Days, Seven Nights), and Michael Douglas can be married to Gwyneth Paltrow (A Perfect Murder)...When a movie has its middle-aged male lead fall in love with a female co- star two decades his junior, it's so commonplace that it isn't interesting, and the age difference may not be mentioned. However, when the woman has the advantage of age, there are consequences. This is not just a motion picture convention; it's a reality of life. And, in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, a surprisingly low-key romantic melodrama adapted by Ron Bass and Terry McMillan from McMillan's novel, the issues that arise from such a May/September male/female pairing are sensitively and intelligently explored...Like the title, the film is a little too long. However, except for a few slow spots, it makes for an enjoyable two hours. Given the subject matter, it's not surprising that the marketing for How Stella Got Her Groove Back is aimed at the black female audience, but this movie can be enjoyed by members of both genders of any race. It isn't the kind of "chick flick" that will have men looking at their watches every five minutes. And perhaps those who see this film will become a fraction more open-minded about relationships where the partners' age difference bucks the cultural norm. As Stella shows, there are times when the vapid cuteness of a young nymph can't hold a candle to the practiced sensuality of a more mature woman. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
[Brown Sugar] She is the editor of an important music magazine. He produces hip-hop for a major label. They've been best friends since childhood, but never more than that, although they came close a few times. Now, as both approach 30, Dre (Taye Diggs) feels his career has lost its way. And Sidney (Sanaa Lathan) is working so hard she doesn't have time for romance..."Brown Sugar," which charts romantic passages in these lives, is a romantic comedy, yes, but one with characters who think and talk about their goals, and are working on hard decisions. For both Sidney and Dre, hip-hop music symbolizes a kind of perfect adolescent innocence, a purity they're trying to return to as more cynical adults..."Brown Sugar," advertised as a hip-hop comedy, is more like a slice of black professional life (there's not even an entire hip-hop song in the whole movie). Directed and co-written by Rick Famuyiwa, the movie returns to a world similar to his "The Wood" (1999), but the characters are deeper and more complex...Consider Reese, the Nicole Ari Parker character. In a less thoughtful movie, she'd be the shallow, bitchy life-wrecker. Here, she is blameless and basically reasonable: mad at Dre for quitting his job without talking it over with her, jealous of Sidney because she (correctly) suspects Sidney and Dre have always been in love but lied to themselves about it...There's a scene in "Brown Sugar" I never thought I'd see in a movie, where after Reese and Dre have a "final" fight, and in a more conventional film she would disappear forever from the screenplay, but here she returns to suggest counseling and says they need to work harder at their marriage. How many movie romances are that thoughtful about their characters? "Brown Sugar" may be pitching itself to the wrong audience. The ads promise: "The Rhythm ... the Beat ... the Love ... and You Don't Stop!" But it's not a musical and although it's sometimes a comedy, it's observant about its people. - Roger Ebert