The stage curtains open ...
"I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Las Vegas showgirl. I am a headliner."
With the huge success of 1992's "Sister Act", it was inevitable that a sequel would soon be on the horizon. In fact, only a year later, in 1993, we got "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" - bringing back Whoopi Goldberg as our beloved Delores Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence, Kathy Najimy, Maggie Smith, and Wendy Makkena. Also in this movie we see Lauryn Hill and Jennifer Love Hewitt in very early movie roles ... both of them young and motivated. Not to mention an appearance by James Coburn in a rather thankless role.
We catch up with Delores who has moved on from Reno to Las Vegas and is indeed a headlining act, singing to sold out shows nightly. To her genuine surprise, Sisters Mary Robert, Mary Patrick, and Mary Lazarus show up on the behest of the Reverend Mother to fetch her back to San Francisco where her help is direly needed at St. Francis Academy, which is, ironically, the same school that Delores attended when she was a girl. She is tasked with turning an obnoxious, and willful bunch of teenagers into a choir which will represent the school at the 30th Annual All-State Choir Championship. With the threat of the school being closed down looming over their heads, they learn to trust in each other and become not only a great choir, but individuals.
This was a fun movie that definitely had its moments of charm, feel-good vibes, and inspiring music. Whoopi has settled nicely into her role as the reluctant Nun, and provides some more laughs that made the first movie a winner. However, this one fell a little short with me, and though the final act was well done, it just didn't seem to have the same magical appeal that the first film's had. In the first movie, Sister Mary Clarence was trying to save her own life. In this one, she is trying to save the school and the futures of its students.
I would certainly recommend this at a solid 7 stars out of 10. I usually watch the two films together as a double feature and I always feel better after doing so. It's hard to believe that it has already been 30 years since this movie's release. Lauryn Hill was able to springboard into a very successful music career with this movie and Jennifer Love Hewitt became a star in her own right. A 3rd movie is apparently being filmed right now and is expecting a 2024 release. I am looking forward to that one as well.
"I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Las Vegas showgirl. I am a headliner."
With the huge success of 1992's "Sister Act", it was inevitable that a sequel would soon be on the horizon. In fact, only a year later, in 1993, we got "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" - bringing back Whoopi Goldberg as our beloved Delores Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence, Kathy Najimy, Maggie Smith, and Wendy Makkena. Also in this movie we see Lauryn Hill and Jennifer Love Hewitt in very early movie roles ... both of them young and motivated. Not to mention an appearance by James Coburn in a rather thankless role.
We catch up with Delores who has moved on from Reno to Las Vegas and is indeed a headlining act, singing to sold out shows nightly. To her genuine surprise, Sisters Mary Robert, Mary Patrick, and Mary Lazarus show up on the behest of the Reverend Mother to fetch her back to San Francisco where her help is direly needed at St. Francis Academy, which is, ironically, the same school that Delores attended when she was a girl. She is tasked with turning an obnoxious, and willful bunch of teenagers into a choir which will represent the school at the 30th Annual All-State Choir Championship. With the threat of the school being closed down looming over their heads, they learn to trust in each other and become not only a great choir, but individuals.
This was a fun movie that definitely had its moments of charm, feel-good vibes, and inspiring music. Whoopi has settled nicely into her role as the reluctant Nun, and provides some more laughs that made the first movie a winner. However, this one fell a little short with me, and though the final act was well done, it just didn't seem to have the same magical appeal that the first film's had. In the first movie, Sister Mary Clarence was trying to save her own life. In this one, she is trying to save the school and the futures of its students.
I would certainly recommend this at a solid 7 stars out of 10. I usually watch the two films together as a double feature and I always feel better after doing so. It's hard to believe that it has already been 30 years since this movie's release. Lauryn Hill was able to springboard into a very successful music career with this movie and Jennifer Love Hewitt became a star in her own right. A 3rd movie is apparently being filmed right now and is expecting a 2024 release. I am looking forward to that one as well.