Sister Act (1992)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Emile Ardolino

Writer (WGA):

Joseph Howard (written by)

Release Date:

29 May 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Music

Tagline:

No booze! No sex! No drugs!... No way!

Plot:

When a worldly singer witnesses a mob crime, the police hide her as a nun in a traditional convent where she has trouble fitting in.

Plot Keywords:

Mother Superior | Witness | On The Run | Murder | Fish Out Of Water

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 7 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Whoopi Goldberg	...	Deloris Van Cartier / Sister Mary Clarence
Maggie Smith	...	Mother Superior
Kathy Najimy	...	Sister Mary Patrick
Wendy Makkena	...	Sister Mary Robert
Mary Wickes	...	Sister Mary Lazarus
Harvey Keitel	...	Vince LaRocca
Bill Nunn	...	Lt. Eddie Souther
Robert Miranda	...	Joey
Richard Portnow	...	Willy
Ellen Albertini Dow	...	Choir Nun
Carmen Zapata	...	Choir Nun
Pat Crawford Brown	...	Choir Nun
Prudence Wright Holmes	...	Choir Nun
Georgia Creighton	...	Choir Nun
Susan Johnson-Kehn	...	Choir Nun (as Susan Johnson)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild violence and language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Norway:10 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #31803)

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

One of the teenage girls that Delores befriends is played by Desreta Jackson, who played Whoopi Goldberg's character Celie in The Color Purple (1985) as a young girl.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Toward the end of the film, as the nuns are looking out of the airplane window at Reno, it is quite obvious that they are merely looking at a string of Christmas lights.

Quotes:

Delores: [after putting on the habit] Oh, no! No, no, no! I can't do this. I'm sorry. This is fine for covering a little bulge, but now I've got holster hips!
Reverend Mother: People wish to kill you. Anyone who's met you I imagine. A disguise is necessary to protect us all. While you are here, you will conduct yourself as a nun. Only I will know who and what you truly are. You will draw no attention to yourself whatsoever.
Delores: But look at me! I'm a nun! I'm a-- I'm a penguin!
Reverend Mother: As from now and until you leave, you are Sister Mary Clarence.
Delores: Mary Clarence? Like Clarence Williams III from The Mod Squad?
Reverend Mother: Mary is in deference to our Holy Mother. The Clarence is in honor of Saint Clarence of Concordia. There are 3 vows every nun must accept: The vow of poverty.
Delores: Mmm.
Reverend Mother: The vow of obedience.
Delores: Mm-Hmm.
Reverend Mother: And the vow of chastity.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "King of the Hill: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Hill (#6.12)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Bar Nun

'Sister Act' has all the story it needs when it has Whoopi Goldberg in the lead...

Sister Act

Deloris Van Cartier (Whoopi Goldberg) is a lounge singer at a successful Reno casino, and is also the mistress of its manager, Vince LaRocca (a lazy Harvey Keitel), a drugs baron. Feeling unloved, she finally decides to quit her job at the casino and split up with Vince when he gives her his wife's old fur coat as a present. But then Deloris accidentally walks in on Vince dispatching one of his snitch employees, and literally has to make a run for her life. Taking refuge with the police, she discovers that she is required to testify in court when Vince is charged for his dirty deeds. But until then, the police arrange for her to hide out at a nunnery in Chicago, overseen by the Mother Superior (Maggie Smith). As Deloris reluctantly adapts to her new lifestyle as Sister Mary Clarence, she strikes up friendships with the unsuspecting nuns at the monastery, and even finds a way to put her singing skills to good use. But wherever she goes, Vince is never far behind…

The above plot synopsis is likely to imply to the unknowing that 'Sister Act' is a "woman in jeopardy" thriller, when actually it's the complete opposite. The creators of the film seem to have designed a worthy fish-out-of-water comedy, and then simply used the bookends of the film as window dressing. It's all the story you need, though, when you have Whoopi Goldberg in the lead.

I've always had a preferment to Goldberg's shockingly underused skills as a dramatic actress, but her funny act can make virtually any film enjoyable. This is one of them. However, this being a family film, the climax is slightly underwhelming, and seems to be trying to be funny that actually letting off tension. But 'Sister Act' is a decent comedy regardless.

~ 7/10 ~