How Stella Got Her Groove Back

Plot

Stella Payne is a very successful 40-year-old stockbroker raising her son, Quincy, and living in Marin County, California, who is persuaded by her best friend from college, Delilah Abraham, to take a well-deserved, first-class vacation to Montego Bay, Jamaica. As she soaks in the beauty of the island, she encounters a handsome young islander, Winston Shakespeare, who is twenty years younger. His pursuit of her turns into a blossoming romance that forces Stella to take personal inventory of her life and try to find a balance between her desire for love and companionship, and her responsibilities as a mother and corporate executive.

Cast

Reception

The reception from critics was mixed. How Stella Got Her Groove Back currently holds a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 48 reviews.

Box office

In its opening weekend, Stella grossed $11,318,919, ranking #2 in the domestic box office behind Saving Private Ryan's fourth weekend. The film would go on to gross $36,672,941 domestically and an additional $1,605,781 overseas for a worldwide total of $39,278,722. From an estimated $20 million budget, this can be considered a moderate success.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack containing mostly R&B and reggae music was released on August 11, 1998, by MCA Records. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was certified gold on September 22, 1998.

Accolades