''Corrina, Corrina'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film set in 1959 about a widower (

Ray Liotta Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primet ...

) who hires a housekeeper/nanny (

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

) to care for his daughter (

Tina Majorino Albertina Marie Majorino (; born February 7, 1985) is an American film and television actress. She started her career as a child actor, starring in films such as '' Andre'', '' When a Man Loves a Woman'', ''Waterworld'', and '' Corrina, Corrina' ...

). It was written and directed by Jessie Nelson, in her feature film directing debut. It was the final film in which

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which ...

starred; he died shortly after filming was completed.

Plot

In late 1950s Los Angeles, a quiet pot-luck wake is held for Annie Singer (Lynette Walden), who has died and left husband Manny (

) and daughter Molly (

). Manny's mother Eva (

Erica Yohn Erica Yohn (October 1, 1928 – January 27, 2019) was an American stage and television actress. Yohn had many bit parts in film and television, such as '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'', and television shows, such as '' Rhoda'', '' ER'', '' Murphy ...

) and father Harry (

) and the other guests all leave and it is apparent that Manny is in for difficulty. Molly will no longer speak due to her mother's passing, and there is a need for a housekeeper/nanny so that Manny can return to a shaky job writing commercial jingles for his best friend and boss, Sid ( Larry Miller). After one nanny washes out, Corrina Washington (

) interviews for the position. Molly responds well to Corrina and Manny hires her. Very quickly a strong bond is formed between them. Corrina works out a system to "talk" with her without making her speak. Corrina sees the early struggles of life after Annie's passing, and Molly slowly begins to interact more with Corrina. Molly also begins to spend time with Corrina's sister and family, who take her to church and welcome her into their home. At an office party, Manny is introduced to Jenny (

Wendy Crewson Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film ''The Doctor (1991 film), The Doctor''. Crewson has appeared in ma ...

), a perky white divorcee with two sons. Manny is still struggling with losing Annie and is not ready to date. Corrina's sister Jevina encourages her to date a black man, Anthony, but Corrina isn't interested. A frightened Molly returns to school where she is mocked for adding Corrina to her family picture. She runs into Corrina's arms at the end of the day, desperate to go home. That night, Molly awakes from a nightmare, Corrina and Manny run to her side but she is scared and angry. Corrina tells her she is allowed to be mad. Manny admits to her how hurt he is about losing Annie and how much he misses her too. That night Jevina chastises Corrina for pretending to become a part of this family. A terrified Molly begs Corrina to let her stay home from school and she secretly agrees. Corrina spends more time with them, and she and Manny slowly discover they are more compatible with each other than anyone else. He confides in her about Annie and she talks about her long gone former husband. They share a love of music and she even assists him on his new jingle. After a successful advertising campaign, he comes home with flowers for Molly as well as Corrina. Their private celebration is interrupted by a visit from Jenny, which Corrina takes as a cue that she is not meant to stay. The next day, a flustered Corrina goes to work where Manny apologizes for Jenny's uninvited visit. As they say goodbye, they share a kiss on the cheek, which Manny's nosey neighbor sees. Corrina and Manny begin to fall in love and face prejudice as an interracial couple. Molly asks her grandfather Harry to make sure that Manny marries Corrina. That night, Corrina and Manny talk about their spouses and share a moonlight dance and kiss that is witnessed by Molly. After weeks of not attending school, Corrina thinks it's almost time for Molly to go back, but she says she's not yet ready, and Manny finds out that Corrina had been letting her skip school. In a fit of anger, he tells her that she is not Molly's mother and fires her, taking a heartbroken Molly home. Molly becomes withdrawn again, and Manny learns that Harry has died. After the funeral, he goes to visit Corrina at her house to tell her of Harry's passing and to properly apologize. After an unsuccessful talk, she overhears his not-so quiet prayers to God to help him out. She informs him that she quit and he assures her that she was replaced. They embrace and he begins to kiss her. She brings him inside to formally meet her family. Finally, Molly singing "

This Little Light of Mine "This Little Light of Mine" is a popular gospel song of unknown origin. It was often reported to be written for children in the 1920s by Harry Dixon Loes, but he never claimed credit for the original version of the song, and the Moody Bible Inst ...

" in order to cheer up Eva, and eventually Eva gives in and joins her in the joyful song. Soon Manny and Corrina show up and Molly joyfully runs to Corrina.

Cast

as Corrina Washington *

as Manny Singer *

as Molly Singer *

Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack (; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In & Out'' (1997 ...

as Jonesy *

as Jenny Davis *

Jenifer Lewis Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in films ''Beaches'' (1988) and '' Sister Act'' (1992). Le ...

as Jevina Washington *

as Harry Singer * Larry Miller as Sid *

Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the android Data on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', as well as four subsequent films. In 2019, he reprised the role for ...

as Brent Witherspoon *

as Eva Singer * Lynette Walden as Annie Singer *

Patrika Darbo Patrika Darbo (born April 6, 1948) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Nancy Wesley and Shirley Spectra in the television soap operas '' Days of Our Lives'' and '' The Bold and the Beautiful'', respectively. In 2016, Darbo won ...

as Wilma the Car Hop

Release

The film was not a box office success, grossing $20,160,000 in the U.S.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from many film critics criticizing Nelson's failure to fully address the complications surrounding a romantic interracial relationship in the 1950s. Roger Ebert confessed that he enjoyed it but wrote:

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' praised the actors and actresses for their work on it but echoed a similar criticism regarding Manny and Corrina's relationship: On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

it holds a 37% rating based on 19 reviews.

Year-end lists

* Honorable mention – John Hurley, '' Staten Island Advance''

References

External links

* * * * {{Jessie Nelson 1994 directorial debut films 1994 films 1994 romantic drama films American romantic drama films Films directed by Jessie Nelson Films about Jews and Judaism Films set in 1959 Films set in Los Angeles Films about nannies New Line Cinema films Films about interracial romance Fiction about child care occupations Films about father–daughter relationships 1990s English-language films 1990s American films