The 40+ Best Loretta Devine Movies

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Updated May 15, 2024 45 items
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Loretta Devine's contribution to the film industry is evident through her impressive collection of movies that show off her astounding talent and captivating performances. With a career spanning over three decades, the celebrated actress has starared in countless memorable films. This comprehensive collection showcases the best Devine movies, featuring breathtaking acting and impactful dialogues.  

Throughout her career, Devine transcended the boundaries of conventional roles, breathing life into diverse characters that have become synonymous with her captivating artistry. The best Devine films testify to her talent. From poignant dramas to heartwarming comedies, these carefully-curated selections represent the pinnacle of her cinematic achievements.

Some of the greatest Devine movies include the empowering ensemble drama "Waiting to Exhale," where she delivered an unforgettable performance as the resilient Gloria Matthews alongside the legendary Whitney Houston. Furthermore, her powerful portrayal of Juanita Sims in the critically-acclaimed adaptation of "For Colored Girls" showcased her immense range and depth as an actress. Another standout film is "This Christmas," where she once again demonstrated her ability to effortlessly command the screen amidst a star-studded cast. However, these impressive titles merely scratch the surface of the illustrious body of work that cements Devine's exceptional status within the entertainment industry. 

The lasting impact of Loretta Devine's incomparable artistry is evident through the timeless appeal of her exceptional films. From page to screen, her prodigious performances create an indelible impression, showcasing her ability to captivate audiences and leave them yearning for more. In celebrating the best Loretta Devine movies, this collection pays homage to an artist whose work will continue to inspire and enchant for generations to come. 

  • Navigating through careers, family and romance, four friends bond over the shortcomings in their love lives -- namely, the scarcity of good men. Both as the "other woman," Savannah (Whitney Houston) and Robin (Lela Rochon) carry on relationships with married men, each believing their lovers will leave their wives for them. On the flip side, Bernadine (Angela Bassett) ends up alone when her husband divorces her for his mistress. Meanwhile, Gloria (Loretta Devine) finds love with a new neighbor.
  • At holiday time, family matriarch Ma'Dere Whitfield (Loretta Devine) assembles her large brood for their first reunion in four years. However, family ties show signs of strain when various secrets come to light, especially concerning Marine Claude's (Columbus Short) true military status, Quentin's (Idris Elba) debts and teenage Baby's (Chris Brown) secret plans to become a singer.
  • Anna to the Infinite Power is a 1982 science-fiction thriller film about a young teenager who learns that she was the product of a cloning experiment. The film was based on the novel of the same name by Mildred Ames. It was produced by Ned Kandell Enterprises and Film Gallery, previously responsible for the American syndicated children's series Big Blue Marble, and many alumni from that program worked on the film. The film was never released theatrically, but premiered on the pay-cable service HBO and later appeared on home video. The film's signature score "Anna's Reverie" was composed by Paul Baillargeon, who wrote the music for the film and has a cameo in which he plays the music teacher of Anna's brother Rowan.
  • When Michelle (Kimberly Elise) is only 12 years old, she is raped by Reggie (Clifton Powell), the boyfriend of her mother (Loretta Devine). When her mother does not believe her accusations, Michelle runs away and begins a downward spiral that includes drugs and prostitution, eventually landing in prison. There she hears of Bishop T.D. Jakes (playing himself), a preacher who works with women like her. Jakes takes an interest in Michelle's case and visits her.
  • Sabrina Watson (Paula Patton) is a successful corporate lawyer who comes from an old-money family. When she meets Jason Taylor (Laz Alonso), she thinks she's found Mr. Right and eagerly accepts the Wall Street worker's marriage proposal after a whirlwind courtship. However, when Sabrina's aristocratic parents (Angela Bassett, Brian Stokes Mitchell) meet Jason's postal-worker mother (Loretta Devine) at their estate on Martha's Vineyard, the class division seems very wide indeed.
  • Kevin Carson (Bow Wow), an ordinary guy living in the projects, wins a $370 million lottery. Unfortunately, the claim office is closed for a long holiday weekend, and he must keep his good fortune a secret. But the news spreads like wildfire, and Kevin must figure out how to survive three days among the friends, family and neighbors who want a piece of the pie.
  • A cleric begins to doubt himself and is visited by an angel. The heavenly emissary is supposed to help the good reverend over his midlife crisis, but he is distracted by the cleric's lovely young wife. A remake with gospel music of the "The Bishop's Wife".
  • Class Act
    8
    15 votes
    Duncan Pinderhughes (Christopher Reid) is a nerdy straight-A student with no social life, and Blade Brown (Christopher Martin) is a tough bad boy with grades so low he has little hope of graduating from high school. When a fateful mistake swaps their permanent records -- and thereby identities -- they decide to take advantage. Duncan will raise Blade's grades, and Blade will show Duncan how to be cool. However, they both start to realize that their new lives aren't what they expected.
  • Sticky Fingers is a 1988 film directed by Catlin Adams and co-written with Melanie Mayron.
  • In New York, a group of black women, most of whom live in the same Harlem apartment building, faces personal crises, heartbreak and other challenges. Crystal (Kimberly Elise) faces an unhappy existence as an abused lover. Jo (Janet Jackson) is a successful magazine editor, but her husband has a secret double life. Juanita (Loretta Devine) is a relationship counselor but cannot seem to get her love life in order. These three and others become bound together by their experiences.
  • What Women Want
    11
    In the romantic comedy What Women Want, Nick Marshall (Mel Gibson), a chauvinistic advertising executive, gains an unexpected ability to hear women's thoughts after a freak accident. While initially disconcerted, he realizes this newfound skill can be used to his advantage both in his personal life and at work, especially with his tough boss Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt). As he navigates through this peculiar situation, Nick begins to understand and respect women in a way he never has before, leading to an unforeseen transformation. The film interestingly explores themes of gender dynamics and empathy.
  • Crash
    12
    26 votes
    Crash, a potent drama directed by Paul Haggis, weaves together the lives of a diverse set of characters in Los Angeles. Racial tension is at the heart of this narrative, with each character - from the district attorney Rick (Brendan Fraser) and his prejudiced wife Jean (Sandra Bullock), to the hardworking locksmith Daniel (Michael Peña) - grappling with their own prejudices and stereotypes. A pivotal car accident links these disparate lives together, setting off a chain reaction of events that challenge their perspectives on race and humanity. This film won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Picture.
  • First Sunday
    13
    17 votes
    Petty thieves Durell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan) face a big problem: The two must come up with $17,000 in one week, or Durell will no longer be able to see his son. The goofy scoundrels embark on a haphazard plan to rob the neighborhood church, but they find the mission trickier than expected. When they arrive, they discover that somebody equally disreputable has already had his hand in the coffers. Now, they must trace the money to a group of parishioners.
  • Hoodlum
    14
    17 votes
    Having just been released from jail, Bumpy Johnson (Laurence Fishburne) returns to his criminal ways as a linchpin in the African-American-run numbers racket. However, Bumpy's longtime friend Illinois Gordon (Chi McBride) and girlfriend Francine Hughes (Vanessa Williams) are both eager to get him back on the straight and narrow. But a brewing rivalry with Mafia boss Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia) and his henchman Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth) threatens to raise the stakes to dangerous new levels.
  • Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story is a 2006 biographical film directed by Debbie Allen.
  • Based on a true story, this film chronicles the life of Dorothy Dandridge, the first black woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. Dandridge (Halle Berry) begins her career working as a nightclub singer before eventually breaking into Hollywood, where she meets her steadfast manager (Brent Spiner) and struggles against racism. Her rise to stardom introduces her to Otto Preminger (Klaus Maria Brandauer), a film director with whom she develops a complicated relationship.
  • When Shirley (Loretta Devine), Madea's niece, receives distressing news about her health, the only thing she wants is her family gathered around her. However, Shirley's three adult children (Shad "Bow Wow" Moss, Shannon Kane, Natalie Desselle-Reid) are too preoccupied with their own troubled lives to pay attention to their mother. It is up to Madea (Tyler Perry), with the help of rowdy Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis), to bring the clan together and help Shirley deal with her crisis.
  • Sinclair family matriarch Rosa Lynn (Mary Alice) raises enough money to help her two grandchildren and drug-addicted adult daughter, Loretta (Alfre Woodard), move to a small Mississippi town in order to escape the dangers of inner-city Chicago. There, Loretta and her kids are taken in by her gruff uncle, Earl (Al Freeman Jr.), who attempts to instill a work ethic and sense of history in his niece. With the help of Earl's tough love, Loretta does her best to put her past demons behind her.
  • Kingdom Come
    19
    16 votes
    The best and the worst of the Slocumb family are on display when Woodrow "Bud" Slocumb keels over from a stroke. As the town swelters in the summer heat, family tensions reach a comedic boil as the Slocumb clan comes together to remember their dearly departed.
  • Preparing for a funeral is never pleasant, but for Aaron, it is shaping up to be the worst day of his life. Sibling rivalry, meddling family members, and a little stranger with a big secret threaten to blow the lid off the coffin when Aaron struggles to give his late father a proper memorial.
  • Urban Legend
    21
    14 votes
    In Urban Legend, college students find themselves preyed upon by a mysterious killer who turns widely known urban legends into grisly reality. Natalie (Alicia Witt) is the central character, a student at Pendleton University, surrounded by friends Brenda (Rebecca Gayheart), Paul (Jared Leto), and Parker (Michael Rosenbaum). As the group unravels the truth behind these terrifying tales, they're plunged into an all-too-real nightmare. The suspense thriller, directed by Jamie Blanks, explores themes of folklore and fear in a modern academic setting. Will the students decipher the deadly pattern in time? A chilling narrative unfolds.
  • I Am Sam
    22
    16 votes
    I Am Sam is a heartfelt drama that centers around Sam Dawson (Sean Penn), a man with an intellectual disability, who fathers a daughter named Lucy Diamond Dawson (Dakota Fanning). As Lucy grows older, her mental capacity surpasses Sam's, leading to the state deeming him unfit as a parent. The story unfolds as Sam, aided by lawyer Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), fights for custody of his daughter. Directed by Jessie Nelson, this film garnered Penn an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Notable for its exploration of love and family in unconventional circumstances, I Am Sam challenges societal norms and perceptions.
  • My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? is a 2009 film directed by Werner Herzog and produced by David Lynch, inspired by the story of murderer Mark Yavorsky. Herzog describes the film as "a horror film without the blood, chainsaws and gore, but with a strange, anonymous fear creeping up in you." The film is an international co-production between the United States and Germany. The film was conceived and written in 1995, but Herzog and co-writer Herbert Golder were unable to find anyone to produce it. Lynch eventually became interested, and production was planned to begin in the Summer of 2008, but was postponed in favor of Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Filming began around San Diego, California in March 2009. Both films were nominated for the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice International Film Festival, the first time that two films in one year by the same director were nominated.
  • Chloe (Drew Barrymore), a pampered Chihuahua from Beverly Hills, gets an unwelcome taste of the real world when she gets lost in a tough part of Mexico. With no Rodeo Drive boutiques in sight, she is out of her element, until scrappy street dogs Delgado and Papi lend her a paw, helping her find her way home.
  • In the Hive
    25

    In the Hive

    10 votes
    The Discarded Boyz is a 2011 film directed by Robert Townsend.
  • Dirty Laundry
    26
    Dirty Laundry is a 2006 drama film written, directed, and starring Maurice Jamal. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and distributed by Codeblack Entertainment. It is available on DVD and is rated PG-13.
  • Iris (Jane Fonda) has a rough go of it after the death of her husband. Though still grieving, she needs to support her dysfunctional family and so she lands a job at a bakery. Things start to look up when the kindhearted Stanley (Robert De Niro), a cook in the bakery, comes to her aid after she is mugged. When Iris realizes that Stanley cannot read, she makes it her goal to teach him. As Stanley approaches literacy, their friendship grows into something words cannot express.
  • Little Nikita
    28
    Roy Parmenter (Sidney Poitier) is an FBI agent with a long-standing vendetta against a Russian spy named Scuba (Richard Lynch). Now, Scuba is blackmailing the Soviet government by tracking down and assassinating their sleeper agents in the United States. Parmenter discovers that high-school student Jeff Grant (River Phoenix) is the son of two such agents (Caroline Kava, Richard Jenkins), which is a total shock to Jeff. Parmenter must try to track Scuba while also protecting the Grants.
  • King's Ransom
    29
    When the rich and arrogant Malcolm King (Anthony Anderson) informs his wife, Renee (Kellita Smith), that he plans to divorce her, she becomes intent on taking as much of his money as possible in the settlement. Malcolm devises a way to keep his fortune, but it involves staging his own kidnapping. Unfortunately for Malcolm, numerous people, including the scheming Corey (Jay Mohr), are already planning on abducting him, and there are various inept attempts to procure the wealthy man's money.
  • Cougar Club
    30
    Cougar Club is a 2007 American film directed by Christopher Duddy. The film details the attempts of two college graduates, Marshall Hogan III and Spence Holmes, to find direction in life. While working as interns for abusive divorce lawyers, they come up with a plan to make money from the passion that is Hogan's pride and Spence's secret desire: having sex with cougars—older women looking to have sex with younger men. Some of the "cougars" are played by actresses such as Faye Dunaway and Carrie Fisher.