Nuns on the Run (1990)

Director:

Jonathan Lynn

Writer:

Jonathan Lynn (written by)

Release Date:

16 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

The Story of an Immaculate Deception.

Plot:

Brian and Charlie (B & C) work for a gangster. When the boss learns they want to "leave", he sets them up to be killed...

Plot Keywords:

Nun | Cross Dressing | Gender Disguise | Transvestism | Priest

Cast

Eric Idle	...	Brian Hope
Robbie Coltrane	...	Charlie McManus
Camille Coduri	...	Faith
Janet Suzman	...	Sister Superior
Doris Hare	...	Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart
Lila Kaye	...	Sister Mary of the Annunciation
Robert Patterson	...	'Case' Casey
Robert Morgan	...	Abbott
Winston Dennis	...	Morley
Tom Hickey	...	Father Seamus
Colin Campbell	...	Norm
Richard Simpson	...	Mr. Norris
Nicholas Hewetson	...	Louis
Gary Tang	...	Ronnie Chang
David Forman	...	Henry Ho

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | USA:PG-13 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London, England, UK

Company:

HandMade Films

Trivia:

Michael Palin was offered the role of Charlie McManus but was unavailable due to other work commitments.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Brian's and Charlie's car runs out of gas, we hear the engine stall and the starter engine being cranked, while we still see Brian holding the steering wheel with both hands.

Quotes:

Charlie McManus: You've got the Father, the Son and the holy ghost. But the three are one - like a shamrock, my old priest used to say. "Three leaves, but one leaf." Now, the father sent down the son, who was love, and then when he went away, he sent down the holy spirit, who came down in the form of a...
Brian Hope: You told me already - a ghost.
Charlie McManus: No, a dove.
Brian Hope: The dove was a ghost?
Charlie McManus: No, the ghost was a dove.
Brian Hope: Let me try and summarize this: God is his son. And his son is God. But his son moonlights as a holy ghost, a holy spirit, and a dove. And they all send each other, even though they're all one and the same thing.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Weakest Link: 'Doctor Who' Special" (2007)

Soundtrack:

ON THE RUN

A great pick-me-up

I first saw this movie in the theatre in 1990 and it still makes me laugh 13 years later. It never pretends to be more than it is: This movie is goofy fun, plain and simple. A wonderful cast takes a script that would have been pretty standard in lesser hands and makes it into a very enjoyable time. There are so many funny throw-away lines that it's hard to pick a favorite, although the exchange between Camilla Codouri and the elderly retired nun: "Oy!...OY!!" "Are you a nun?" "Oh, very funny! What do you want?" and Lila Kaye bellowing "Get out of the bloody way!!" are at the top of my list.The effortlessness of the cast and the obvious fun they seem to be having really make this a wonderful movie. And with the Catholic Church screaming about gay marriage in an effort to divert attention from their lack of action in the priest/molestation scandal, a lot of the humor that skewers certain "christian" viewpoints remains current. Regardless, this movie always makes me laugh and if you're every feeling down in the dumps, this movie is a great pick-me-up.