Sister Act

The 1992 musical comedy, Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg is a film that a lot of people still treasure quite strongly to this day, and this may surprise many as on the surface, the film is perfectly cute and endearing, yet doesn’t feature anything that drastically funny or new. Distributed by Touchstone Studios (a company the was created and owned by Disney where they would usually place their movies that would normally not be very kid-friendly), the film was one of the most financially successful comedies for the 1990s, grossing in $231 million against a $31 million budget, and with critically response that wasn’t amazing, but certainly positive, it proved it had a unique form of magic that just managed to suck people in. Set in the flashy city of Reno during the 1990s, a lounge singer named Deloris Van Cartier (played by Whoopi Goldberg) works for a casino run by her boyfriend, Vince (played by Harvey Keitel) whom she quickly and brutally learns is a mob gangster after watching him executing a man (although the extreme thick accent and dialect should’ve been an obvious giveaway. After managing to escape, Deloris is put into police custody and lieutenant Eddie Souther (played by the ironically named Bill Nunn) tells her that she will have t hide out until they can catch Vince, with the location of choice being a church within a run-down area of San Francisco. Though the Mother Superior (played by Maggie Smith) is hesitant to let a wild spirit like her into this rule-abiding Parish (which is a statement seconded by Delores), both are forced into the position, with Delores being renamed, Sister Mary Clarence and added as part of the coven. After making friends with some of the other nuns like sister Mary Lazarus (played by Mary Wickes), Mary Patrick (played by Kathy Najimy) and Mary Roberts (played by Wendy Makkena), but also feeling like a wild dog stuck in a shelter, Delores finds a calling card that speaks to her when she is given the chance to lead and even improve the horrible choir for the church.  Giving them the guidance and updates that they need, her high-spirited and show tune-like hymns draw in people to the usually abandoned church, though against the liking of the Mother Superior who is unimpressed with the tone of these song numbers. Adding spunk to the holy sanctum and livening up the neighborhood in a positive manner, Deloris must find a way to survive and fix up this convent without being spotted and killed by her ex before he is put behind bars for good. Sister Act is full of passion, charm, and enough laughs and hummable moments to certainly warrant a viewing. The cast is superb, the concept allows for some good comedy, the music is surprisingly catchy, and although some elements involved with the writing and tone could’ve been ironed out a touch to improve some things, it contains enough memorable and likeable moments to keep audiences calling out for more.

With an idea that was originally supposed to be a vehicle for Bette Midler (that’s horrific to think about) created by writer Paul Rudnick, you can very easily see the comedic potential for this idea especially once the perspective shifted towards then rising comedic star, Whoopi Goldberg. The idea is fairly simple and definitely contains that element of befuddlement and even quirky randomness that would’ve drawn in people just to check it out, but what’s appreciated is that this clearly isn’t just a mindless project with the sole purpose of shilling out a popular name, there is a lot of passion, energy and love put into this flick that absolutely helps in building up its charming, good will. The plot for this film is honestly not that strong, containing several familiar cliches, characters and even dialogue that isn’t the most creative, inventive, or even that impressive when watching, yet it is able to make up for this by featuring a great heaping worth of charm that comes from the situation, the wholesome even slightly laid-back atmosphere, and the very entertaining cast. This was one of the last movie’s directed by Emile Ardolino who sadly passed away from AIDS in 1993, and while his filmography is very brief and not all the most flattering (he directed Three Men and A Little Lady), his experience on Broadway, plus his work directing the documentary film, He Makes Me Feel like Dancin’ and the award-winning 1987 hit, Dirty Dancing, allowed him to be a musicality to the film in both content and in personality. In the world that this film creates to a degree that almost feels very much like a Disney Channel original movie (Disney does still have its mouse-prints on this film even if it’s not under their banner), but not the level of being pandering and lame. There are certain cliches that feel a little more acceptable within this framework and even most of the handling of these expected cliches are delightfully short and not dragged out to an obnoxious degree. Most of the stuff within the church is where the true gold of this film lies, with a lot of great entertaining scenes, people and musical numbers which are quite sweet and engrossing for such a simple concept. The whole mobster angle and the police investigation is the part of the movie that feels cliched in a bad way, with a direction that feels a little hard to believe and a tone that feels completely dissimilar to the main focus of this story. Sadly, this is a film that could’ve been improved a little if it had more of an edge to it but being restricted to a PG rating (thanks Mickey) means that a lot of potential comedy is lost. The movie didn’t need to go full hard-R or anything like that as the sweeter elements of this story are one of the driving elements behind it, but that sense of bite really feels like its missing from this picture

Due to the somewhat cartoonish and very 90s personality of this film (in that it’s a little softer around the edges to an 80s film, but still has a hint of that dirtiness due to just getting out of it), it means that most of these characters who are written as a little archetypal, still come out pretty likeable. A lot of that comes from the acting, as while a lot of the dialogue they are given isn’t anything spectacular, each of these performers are clearly having a ball working in this film and are giving it their all whether they are acting, reacting, or even singing. Whoopi Goldberg does great as the fiery sharp-mouthed lounge-singer, as well as showing off the sweeter side as a nun. Being a movie that feels very perfect for her style of comedy, she honestly seems like the perfect choice to bring that spice into this very bland stale church, and that energy is very infectious which in turn allows you to become engrossed and appreciatory of the environment as well. Maggie Smith is great as her foil, and always gives that sense of class and authority that she’s always good at. While she is playing the stick-in-the-mud authority figure (who are a dim-a-dozen in these kind of films), she is allowed some of the funniest moments and reactions in the movie that make her more than just a plot point to overcome (most likely coming from what a great talent Smith is). While the lead actresses are great and help lead the film, the rest of the nuns are a pure delight and are definitely one of the reasons this film is a strong as it is with people. This doesn’t just come from Wendy Makkena, Kathy Najimy and Mary Wickes as the main three nuns (who are all fantastic to watch in their own right) but also even most of the supporting nuns who are never given names, as each of them were played by experienced performers or professional character actors  prior to this film like Ellen Albertini Dow, Carmen Zapata, Pat Crawford Brown, etc, so it adds that nice extra dose of effort that breaths so much life into what would otherwise be background roles. Even some of the bit parts like Bill Nunn as the lieutenant Joseph Maher as the bishop, and even some of the nameless extra that populate the streets around the church are funny and charming in their own right, but this doesn’t really come through from the mobster side of this movie, as Harvey Keitel (despite being a talented and funny actor in his own right) is given nothing of substance to work with a stale role, generic lines and zero intimidation factor (it’s hard to find a mobster without a foul mouth that threatening).

The movie, though not a musical by any means, features a good chunk of great music that whether through a soundtrack with popular music at the times or actual songs sequences, take up a good chunk of this film. This is another factor that would’ve given the film its strong audience as these numbers are scene-stealers and are incredibly performed and executed. It somehow does the difficult duty of turning these very respectable softly sung hymns and turning them into more upbeat catchy melodies, and although the styling of religious hymns and lounge singing are two completely different tones of music, combining them brings out the best in both genres and results in something very entertaining. The performers are passionate, the music is nice and bouncy, the energy is amazingly alluring, and it doesn’t feel disrespectful or like it destroying any of the songs its mixing and matching, it genuinely takes them to a fresh new level that can be enjoyed by anyone whether religious or otherwise (another factor that pushes the film to a mainstream all-appealing demographic). However, some of the background soundtrack at times, particularly the score itself composed by Marc Shaiman, can come across as a bit too childish and simplistic, even at times kind of stupidly simplistic. There is impressive production value behind this movie, moreso in its presentation which is rather blatant and straightforward but does work in the film’s favour. Seeing this church evolve from having almost no people in its seats to being a packed house near the film’s end is a simple yet fitting visual, and the look and feel of the environment outside of the church definitely gives off a ghetto, street-smart attitude, yet the way in which the people interact with the community and vice versa is very nice and portrays that community in a non-demeaning manner (which is what you want from a story with a religious component at the centre). While the script by Rudnick is not that funny from a writing standpoint, the movie is still  home to some good funny moments; either from the actors giving it their all, a quick line every once and a while that’s either a bit naughty for kids or a genuine good zinger, or something that’s uniquely its own when it comes to its visuals (just the mere image of seeing a herd of nuns racing through the streets of Reno is funny enough).

Sister Act packs home enough likability and passion for kids to get into, but also some good funny moments, a great cast, and genuinely catchy music for adults to admire and come back to witness. Considering the kind of cult franchise that has been built from this film alone with a stage musical and its own sequel film, it definitely was able to connect with so many people for its simple heart, hummable numbers, and its endearing performers.  It isn’t a perfectly put together movie, as it could have used a stronger narrative, a harsher tone, and better antagonists to really sell this movie big time, but it manages to add that certain zing to a pretty stale storyline that allows viewers to be more forgiving and a lot more appreciative of what it gets right. It can keep people coming back just to hear those amazing song renditions (it’s impossible not to have a big stupid grin during that final performance), definitely worth a viewing. It’s a sacred picture, but also one with just that right amount of sass.