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Sister Act (1992)

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72 comments in total

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20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Nun better...., 14 octubre 1999

Author: George Litman de Marietta, OH USA

TIDBIT - Bette Midler was the original choice for the lead in "Sister Act".

That may have been cute (a Jewish nun?) but in choosing Whoopi, "Sister Act" gives itself a shot in the arm with an incomparable comic talent and insures every scene with Deloris/Mary Clarence is a highlight unto itself.

After witnessing a Mob hit courtesy of her boyfriend (Keitel), casino lounge singer Whoopi hightails it to her local police where a helpful cop (Nunn) puts her in the Witness Protection Program and before you can say "holy, holy, holy", sends her to the last place in the world anyone would think of finding a second-rate lounge singer.

Once the church, nuns and choir music with a Motown beat are all introduced, things pick up steadily. All the nuns are funny (especially Najimy as the eternally sunny Sister Mary Patrick) and there are so many good scenes to be had thereafter (the bar scene, the first choir practice, the blossoming of Sister Mary Robert (Makkenna), etc.), that you can't help but smile, even if you're tired of nuns as a springboard for comedy.

And there's something about the music: the gospel-tinged soul songs like "My God", "I Will Follow Him" and such lift your spirits and are infectious in their own right. The last scene in the movie is quite moving, truth be told, and lets you in on a secret... God moves in mysterious ways.

Amen.

Nine stars. These "Sister"s rock!

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17 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
How can anyone NOT love this film?, 15 enero 2002
Author: Devyalento Latchford Deschanel de London, England

Sister Act is definitely one of a kind. It's such a funny, heart-warming film with a good mix of action and comedy and some excellent music as well. I don't normally enjoy films that are driven by just one Hollywood star at the helm, but I have a weakness for Whoopi Goldberg and here she is simply divine as Deloris Van Cartier, a club singer thrown into a convent undercover to hide out from her mobster boyfriend who wants her dead. Of course, she doesn't fit in here so much of the comedy is drawn from Deloris finding it difficult to conform to the nun's holy ways. But sure enough, she finds solace with the choir, and turns them from awful to amazing in no time. The scenes with the choir are the high-points of this film, I guarantee you'll be dancing and singing around your living room to them. Whoopi never fails to disappoint, and is fantastic here. Maggie Smith is also very good as the Reverend Mother, and Harvey Keitel plays hard-man Vince just like you'd expect. Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena and Mary Wickes are all fabulous, each impress in their own special way, with Najimy's innocent and bubbly manner, Makkena's shy and withdrawing character but also possessing a great voice and Wickes' sarcastic but effective wit. Sister Act is just a great, great film, the sparkle and the magic never fade, no matter how many times you watch it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and watch it yet again!

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11 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
A comedy classic!, 31 marzo 2002
Author: jellyneckr

I first saw this movie when it came to video, which I think was in 1993 and I loved it, though I didn't see it again until a few months ago when it was on TBS. After seeing it on TBS, I went to the video store and rented it. I rented it because I am a big Whoopi Goldberg fan and the plot seems more interesting every time I see it. The cast is fantastic and there are great performances by Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Harvey Keitel, and Bill Nunn. The movie isn't just full of laughs, but great songs as well. Though this is an excellent movie, the sequel SISTER ACT 2: BACK IN THE HABIT is not nearly as good.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Nun on the Run, 13 noviembre 2005

Author: nycritic

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Referencing two movies about people on the run from gangsters, NUNS ON THE RUN and most notable SOME LIKE IT HOT, this time SISTER ACT flips the genders and makes its central character a lounge singer named Delores vanCartier who has an apparent knack for getting herself into some pretty heavy situations. As seen in the first reel, she's one of those girls whom we know somewhere along the line they will wind up in the wrong side of the tracks. In the next shot, our predictions are made true when we see her performing for peanuts in a Reno lounge act doing covers for old Motown songs. What she doesn't realize is that she will sing those same songs, but in a totally different, more religious context.

This is the setup that Emile Ardolino in one of his final films brings to the screen, and it's one that is genuine entertainment if you don't want too much analysis of a cinematic nature. Even though the story is more or less a retread and has the look and the feel of a thousand movies we've seen before, there is an honesty in the performances and the handling of the material even when at times it can be seen as a vehicle for Whoopi Goldberg. Her introduction to the sisters is a total hoot, and much of Maggie's Smith's best lines and facial expressions conveying her inability to handle this kind of situation are found here as well as Kathy Najimy's ability to steal scenes as the perpetually optimistic Sister Mary Robert. The script allows for these characters to also grow and not just be foils to Goldberg: Ruth McKenna literally finds her voice and Kathy Najimy just shines. Even Maggie Smith's Mother Superior, with her cool, icy exterior, shows that she's also human and not just a walking religious image.

A surprise hit when it was released in 1992, SISTER ACT spawned a much less successful sequel, SISTER ACT: BACK IN THE HABIT, which proved that if it isn't broken, why fix it. A clever movie, maybe a little too pedestrian in its filmed images but laugh-out-loud funny as well as surprisingly thoughtful at its conclusion.

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Sister Act, 16 febrero 2005

Author: okidz de United Kingdom

I think sister act is fantastic! Whoopie Goldberg does a terrific job as playing sister Mary Clarence, but i think what makes the movie is Wendy Makkenna in playing sister Mary Robert. She has a fantastic voice and is entertaining, i love the way in which at the beginning she's shy then through gaining confidence in her singing she turns into a diva although through sister act and sister act 2 she's timid and very light hearted and this is what makes me love her more! Also the way in which she is easy to watch and is very pretty, so i think. Wendy Makkenna (Mary Robert) makes me want to watch the movie over and over again.

Vicky

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
'Sister Act' has all the story it needs when it has Whoopi Goldberg in the lead..., 22 abril 2005

Author: Extraordinary Machine

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 ~

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13 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Appealed To The Masses, 25 mayo 2007

Author: ccthemovieman-1 de Lockport, NY, United States

I enjoyed this when it came out, just as millions of other folks did. It had a nice feel to it, good humor, great music and it didn't offend my at-that-time agnostic beliefs. It even had some action scenes. Many movies which combine genres (i.e. action and comedy) wind up successes. It's not a bad formula.

Although Whoopi Goldberg is the undeniable star of this movie, Kathy Najimy as "Sister Mary Patrick" almost steals the show as the bubbly nun. However, always a sucker for a pretty and wholesome face, I preferred Mary Wickes as "Sister Mary Lazarus." She had this shy countenance to her before blossoming with her voice. Maybe that's why she had the name Lazarus as her personality rose from the dead.

Over the years, I watched this three times and that was enough. By the end of the decade, I was a died-in-the-wool Christian conservative, so the very liberal Miss Goldberg lost her appeal to me.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Comments and review, 12 noviembre 2005

Author: BluPct01 de United States

I feel that this movie should be a classic someday. The music is outstanding. I love the way that Whoopie sings. She has a fantastic voice for the movie. I loved the Supremes and there sound.All of the actress are gifted. I could watch this movie and Sister Act 2 over and over again. They are pricless.I only wish they would have made more of them. These in my opinion are quality type of movies for the whole family.They have unlimited language and sex and violence. Theses are movie that could be shown in a church.The plot is simple but believable.This movie is timeless and priceless.It is one of Whoppie's finest movies. I mean she was good in Ghost. I really enjoy watching her in all of her movies. Whoopie is a real gifted actress that will or should keep on making movies.I would watch everyone.All I can say Whoopie deserves an Acadamy Award for her acting ability. She is always believable in any role she playes. Thank You

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Whoopi and Maggie rule!!, 3 junio 2005

Author: Reverend_Summerisle de Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.

I finally managed to watch Sister Act in March when it was on the TV one Sunday afternoon; my friends and family had endlessly been saying how brilliant it is and I agree with them! Its probably one of Whoopi and Maggie's best films. I constantly rewind and watch the choir scenes and can't help but tap my feet.

Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith were the best choices for their roles, Whoopi with her funny and jokey but caring side and Maggie with her no-nonsense essence making a perfect Mother Superior.

I only wish all Nunneries were likes this, as I said to myself – there's nothing wrong with making a service loud and cheerful!! Ten out of ten for a fantastic cast, a dazzling storyline and tremendous songs chosen and sung throughout the film!!

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Whoopi Goldberg delivers a few laughs in this amusing little movie about a murder witness who gets hidden in a convent., 23 abril 2005

Author: schmimic (schmimic@hotmail.com) de Canada

Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Harvey Keitel The nineties were an interesting time for movies to be made. This is hardly a spectacular film, but it is certainly amusing, and there are far worse things you can waste your time on. Like cable.

The plot of the movie is fairly basic. Delores VanCartier (Goldberg) is a lounge singer with a married lover who happens to be a drug dealer and other crime related stuff. Delores decides that she's going to leave Vince (Keitel), but when she goes to give him back the jacket he gave her and say goodbye, she happens to walk in right as Vince is getting his goons to shoot his less than loyal limo driver. Oddly enough, Delores runs like the dickens, basically straight to the police station.

Apparently it will take about two months for a trial date, so until that time, one of the officers hides Delores in a place that Vince would never look for her. A convent. Delores, an off colour black woman with a racy past, ends up pretending to be a nun. The Reverend Mother of the convent (Smith) is slightly less than thrilled at the prospect of having Delores stay with them, but the police do make a substantial donation to compensate them for their kindness.

After a long period of not fitting in anywhere in the convent, the Reverend Mother finally decides to put Delores in the choir. Delores brings her musical talent to the table, and the once atrocious choir at the convent starts to get a little bit better. Then a lot better. Eventually they are ready to sing in mass, and when they do sing, the rest of the nuns just look back and forth at each other as if they can't believe their ears. You can almost hear the thoughts streaming through their minds: "THIS can NOT be the same choir!" But rather than just sing traditional hymns, Delores jazzes things up a little bit and puts some twists into a few old favorites. This doesn't exactly thrill the Reverend Mother, but since it does bring people from the streets into the mass services, she can hardly object.

The convent gains popularity, the crowds start pouring in, and the once backwards convent starts to right itself, thanks to Delores. However, since there is a leak in the police station, Vince eventually finds out where Delores is hiding and goes to find her.

The rest of the movie plays out in a fairly standard manner, but it still highly amusing. Like I said before, not an Academy Award winning flick, but a good way to kill an hour and a half without having to think too hard.

Bottom Line: 3 out of 4 (worth a look)

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