A Reno singer witnesses a mob murder and the cops stash her in a nunnery to protect her from the mob's hitmen. The mother superior does not trust her, and takes steps to limit her influence on the other nuns. Eventually the singer rescues the failing choir and begins helping with community projects, which gets her an interview on TV—and identification by the mob.
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
Ruth Kobart
Choir Nun
Susan Browning
Choir Nun
Edith Diaz
Choir Nun
Beth Fowler
Choir Nun
Joseph Maher
Bishop O'Hara
Jenifer Lewis
Michelle
Charlotte Crossley
Tina
A.J. Johnson
Lewanda
Michael Durrell
Larry Merrick
Mike Jolly
Biker #1
Jeremy Roberts
Biker #2
Jim Beaver
Clarkson
Toni Kalem
Connie LaRocca
Nicky Katt
Waiter
Desreta Jackson
Teenage Girl #1
Zatella Beatty
Teenage Girl #2
Skye Bassett
Teenage Girl #3
Lois de Banzie
Immaculata
Director
Emile Ardolino
Writer
Paul Rudnick
June 20, 2020
7
Mary Clarence? Like Clarence Williams III from The Mod Squad?
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.
Whoopi Goldberg is the sister act of the title, and boy does she have a great time with the characterisation. It's hardly pulling up any trees, and it holds few surprises, yet it's so warm and gentle with its humour it's near impossible to dislike.
The laughs obviously come from Goldberg's street wise gal trying to adapt to life in a convent. The big message that unfolds, as she gets more at ease with her surroundings, is that not only can earthy girls come to be honourable by learning new fortitudes, but also that they can positively affect those around them in a perceived stuffy environment.
The trajectory of the nunnery choir under Goldberg's tutorship - from wailing cats to cherubic angels - is the film's highlights, while Maggie Smith as the prim and proper Mother Superior is class unbound. Harvey Keitel as the gangster who is after our sister's blood is wasted, and the ending is never really in doubt, yet this is a good pick me up movie, undemanding fun for those after a quick smiley fix. 7/10
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$31,000,000.00
Revenue:
$231,605,150.00