A Major Disappointment

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Corrina, Corrina (1994) *** (out of 4)After losing his wife at a young age, single father Manny (Ray Liotta) decides hire a housemaid named Corrina (Whoopi Goldberg) and this has a positive impact on his daughter Molly (Tina Majorino).CORRINA, CORRINA is one of those films that was released to very little fanfare and it sadly didn't do too well at the box office. You'd hope it would get more attention on video but it didn't. You'd hope that at some point of its home video life more people would discover the film but as of me writing this it hasn't happened. At this point you have to wonder if it's just going to be one of those gems that never finds an audiance to enjoy it.It's really too bad because the film is actually an exceptionally good one that features a very good and tender story as well as some great performances. The film is set in the 1950's so you've got the added drama of the racial tensions, which comes into play but the film never preaches but instead lets the drama play out in a realistic way. What's so great about the movie is that it's simply trying to tell a simple story about three people who need one another.There are a lot of hilarious moments throughout the film as both Liotta and Goldberg are perfect in their roles. Having such capable actors means they are able to make you believe in the characters and make the characters feel real. You've also got great support from Majorino, Don Ameche and Joan Cusack. The film works the laughs perfectly but there are also some touching moments that will leave many grabbing for the tissues.One would hope that CORRINA, CORRINA would eventually find more fans.

"Corrina Corrina" is very much a film of the 1990s set in the 1950s. Miss Goldberg uses her tried and trusted "Feisty Black Woman" schtick but it doesn't sit well in a movie set in an era when,whether we like it or not,black people behaved very differently amongst white people. The Little Rock desegregation episode occurred as late as 1957 and the Civil Rights marches were some time in the future,few blacks felt secure enough to go against the wishes of their white employers or even cuss and swear in their presence. Clearly there is a strong political edge to this movie,it could hardly be otherwise given our current obsession with racial and religious tensions both in the U.S and the U.K.Black Christian woman and white atheist Jew fall in love - I'm not sure how convincingly - but conveniently,for the very basis of the movie is that love laughs at locksmiths.Would that it were true. From "Romeo and Juliet" onwards playwrights have been telling us it isn't,but we're still clinging on to the hope. A few remarkable people succeeded in ignoring the social pressures,but even in the 21st century race and religion are barriers that can prove insurmountable. Commendably, in "Corrina Corrina" nobody pretends it's going to be easy for Mr Liotta and Miss Goldberg.It is a measure of the film's effectiveness that I felt concerned for their future. There is some wonderful music,we hear Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson doing "You go to my head" and Mr Liotta and Miss Goldberg duet Bill Evans' "Peace piece" on the piano quite delightfully.The title of the film is derived from an old blues song. Despite the caveat of my first paragraph I did enjoy this movie. As the lights went up I realised that hope springs eternal in the human breast - even mine.

A captivating drama / comedy that casts Ray Liotta as 'Manny Singer', a man who recently lost his wife and has his daughter Molly (Tina Majorino) to take care of, who was too sad and heartbroken to talk to anyone after her mother's death. As Manny tries to find a suitable 'nurse maid' for Molly so he can go back to work, Corrina Washington (in the form of Whoopi Goldberg) comes into the picture and eventually gets hired by Manny to take care of the little girl. The funny thing is, what the Singers weren't expecting was for Corrina to bring magic back into their lives. An endearing little treasure, 'Corrina, Corrina' is a motion picture filled with heart and laughter, that's sure to send your spirits soaring. Wendy Crewson is great in her supporting role as the not-so-nice and aggressive 'Jenny Davis'. Goldberg is absolutely terrific in the title role. A highly-recommended motion picture. Rating: Three 1/2 out of Five Stars (Very Good).

I think, what I have seen lacking in the comments about this film, are the sociological aspects that are addressed. In my opinion, the film is not just a sweet story, it speaks of the issues that our society has about both race and about social class in our society - both in the 50's as well as today. It IS a movie about love across social boundaries, it can also speak to the seeming obsession of society about the differences of, not only race, but also religion. What is wonderful about this movie is that it shows that this obsession goes both ways. And it has come to a point where, understandably,members of the most persecuted groups in out society, end up in situations, like in Corrina, Corrina, where they themselves are pressured by their own family and community to sever the relationship that they want to be in. This movie shows the pressure that both "sides" go through when deciding to enter an inter-racial or even an inter-faith relationship, and it shows that sometimes the pressure put on the member of a certain group in society goes through, more because their community feels, although often for good reasons, that the person of the "dominant" community, whatever it may be in whatever society, is not to be trusted. This movie shows that sometimes love and trust are true, regardless of the real and regardless of the sometimes imagined boundaries that society can place between people.