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:

Choir | Singer | Convent | Nun | Police

Awards:

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

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 18	12:00 PM	TNT
Mon. July 27	10:00 AM	TBS
Tue. July 28	12:30 AM	TBS

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:

Beth Fowler's film debut.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the credits, Joseph Maher's character is listed as "Bishop" O'Hara. However when he's seen wearing liturgical vestments he's not wearing a mitre, and later we see him in a black cassock, rather than a purple one, and he isn't wearing a pectoral cross; so he's not dressed in bishops' clericals. These are not costume errors, however, as several times in the film the Mother Superior refers to him as "monsignor." His credit, then, should be as "Father" O'Hara or "Monsignor" O'Hara, since he is clearly not a bishop.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[in a classroom in 1968]
Nun: Who can name all the apostles? Yes, Deloris?
Little Delores: John, Paul, George... and Ringo!
[the children laugh]
Nun: Deloris Wilson, you are the most unruly, disobedient girl in this school! Now, I want you to march right up to that blackboard and write the names of all the apostles alphabetically.
[Little Deloris walks up to the blackboard and writes "John, Paul, Peter" and "Elvis" in big letters, underlined. The children laugh again]
Nun: This is enough! You are hopeless, and I wash my hands of you. Mark my words, Deloris. If you continue on this disruptive track, it will lead straight to the devil. Have you any idea what girls like you become?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Chuck: Chuck Versus the Seduction (#2.2)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Just A Touch Of Love (Everyday)

'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 ~