'Groove': Off Track By Michael O'Sullivan Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, August 14, 1998

Taye Diggs helps Angela Bassett in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back." (Fox) Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan Cast: Angela Bassett; Whoopi Goldberg; Taye Diggs; Regina King; and Suzzanne Douglas Running Time: 2 hours, 4 minutes Under 17 restricted Compare prices for this movie Find local video stores More movie shopping Save money with NextCard Visa

You cannot purchase the buff, brown, boy-toy star of "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" by calling an 800 number or through the Internet.

You may, however, spend seven bucks plus the cost of a bag of popcorn and indulge in a couple of hours of wishful thinking, pretending that you are the 40-year-old Stella (Angela Bassett), an unhappy single mom who gets rejuvenated by the sexual ministrations of an attentive slab of 20-year-old beefcake named Winston Shakespeare (Diggs) while on vacation in Jamaica-and in the process finds her missing "groove." (At least now we know what the "G" in "G-spot" stands for.)

Unfortunately, not everyone's body looks as fine as Bassett's does in a Nike jog-bra. Still, one can dream, can't one?

Director Kevin Rodney Sullivan had better hope so, because daydreaming is the only thing that will prevent audiences from noticing the numerous imperfections in his first feature film.

Oh, the movie looks perfectly good-too good in fact. Buffed and waxed to within an inch of its life, "Stella" registers as more of a sequence of slick commercials than an actual drama. The numerous tropical scenes-featuring palm trees, sunsets and a parade of sexy islanders saying "Welcome to Jamaica" in that lilting way-are even more like ads from that paradise's tourist bureau than the real commercial that is featured in the film.

Other situations are more Kodak moments than real-life encounters, such as the one-big-happy, backyard barbecue where Stella introduces her West Indian catch to her dubious extended family.

There are elements to like about "Stella." Newcomer Diggs is as natural and charismatic as he is handsome and, as Stella's earthy best friend Delilah, Whoopi Goldberg steals every scene she is in. And the movie provides several genuine laughs, such as one big guffaw early on, when an overweight, would-be suitor (Barry "Shabaka" Henley) strips down to his thong in front of Stella at a pajama disco party.

Each of these scenarios, handsomely framed and shot, is like a well-cut gem, but they often end abruptly and are strung together with a haphazard rhythm. In the surprisingly clumsy screenplay, adapted by Terry McMillan and Ron Bass from McMillan's best-selling novel, funny, raunchy, maudlin and angry episodes slam into one another with a herky-jerky lack of grace as the film trudges toward its predictable and unpersuasive conclusion.

The talented Bassett is asked to do little here other than model sportswear and wrinkle her forehead about her future with a man young enough to be her son, both of which she accomplishes with ease. But we never knew the character before she misplaced her groove, and the film supplies scant evidence of her current malaise. She's got a great house, a perfect kid (Michael J. Pagan), a dream job and an ample waiting list of suitors, so her dissatisfaction with life comes off as ingratitude.

No matter, though. "Stella's" target audience will look at the screen and see nothing there except a blank mask onto which they can project their own private fantasies.    

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