User reviews

This is, indeed, a comedy. It is mostly funny, though it won't have anybody rolling in the aisles. This movie is terrific, but not because of the acting or directing...what this movie does is demonstrate the possibility of positive change. If you allow yourself to suspend disbelief about certain aspects of the plot, you'll discover that you can relate to and understand the struggles the sisters go through. They are universal--every human being has been in some dysfunctional, stuck or dying organization. Everybody knows what it feels like, and everybody wishes that they could do something about it.

I think every member of every church, synagogue, mosque, house of worship, civic organization, school, committee, and/or organization of any kind should be tied to a chair and made to watch this movie. It's a paean to possibility, and a wonderful encouragement to those who believe that life could be better than it is.

I really like this movie and the sequel, this one being the better movie. The third act is silly perhaps, and the crime subplot could have been a little better handled. However, a lot of things make this movie terrific and very entertaining.

I just love the songs, they are so upbeat and joyful, and they are wonderfully staged and sung. The nuns are great to watch, they are sweet, innocent and so easy to fall in love with. Whoopi Goldberg is absolutely terrific in the lead, she really gives it her all and it comes through loud and clear. The film looks great too, goes at a good pace and has a decent story and funny and charming script. Also, the direction is competent, and Maggie Smith is a welcome presence.

Overall, thoroughly enjoyable and if you haven't seen the West End stage show, do, it's even better. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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)

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 ~

This movie is very entertaining, even if you know what is going to happen the entire time. The singing is glorious and the cast is up for anything. Whoopi is terrific and funny - so is Kathy Nijimy. It's definately worth seeing, at least once.

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

A Reno lounge-singer who witnessed a murder hides her identity at a San Francisco convent.

The plot feels like a fairly standard fish-out-of-water comedy with a number of clichés and somewhat forced conflict between individuals, but it is elevated by some quite humorous and touching character moments.

Johnson's funny and charismatic lead performance is the main highlight and she has great chemistry with supporting stars like Mary Wickes, Maggie Smith (who is particularly good), Harvey Keitel, and Kathy Najimy.

The songs are tremendously catchy and should bring a smile to all but the most sullen faces who are determined not to enjoy a bit of musical escapism. Certain voices are obviously dubbed, but it does not spoil it for me.

It is a great one to watch with children. My 7 year old daughter loved it.

Just watched this on Disney+. Music is still great and jokes are cute and funny. Great watch and family friendly

Whoopi Goldberg stars as club singer Deloris, who has an affair with a married man, Vince (Harvey Keitel - who is in great shape, by the way!). When he gives her his wife's mink coat as a gift, she is infuriated and goes to his office to return it - and witness Vince committing murder. Frightened for her own life, she goes on the run.

She seeks protection from the police, who suggests hiding her in a convent - as a nun! Since Deloris is no angel (figuratively speaking), she immediately feels out of place being surrounded by nuns. However, she has a gift: singing. And the church choir is in dire need of a new director.

Whoopi Goldberg is absolutely stunning in the role of Deloris. Quite honestly, I believe the movie would not have been as successful without her. 'Sister Act' had me smiling from the beginning to the end. This was just fabulous! This is a feel-good movie in every sense of the word.

I enjoy comedies that are naturally funny - as opposed to that dreaded slapstick. Whoopi is a comedian through and through. This movie is as inspirational as it is funny. This is a movie the entire family can enjoy! I absolutely loved it.

"Sister Act" was a huge success when it came out. Harvey Keitel was at the top of his game in '92 - "Reservoir Dogs," "Bad Lieutenant" and this had sparked his career up and Whoopi Goldberg was a couple years off her Academy Award-winning performance in "Ghost." So, I guess their names attracted the moviegoers. However the premise really is dull and has been used way too much -- a person on the run hides with the church. This happened a few years earlier in "We're No Angels" and again in "Nuns on the Run." "Sister Act" features Goldberg in the hapless role of the woman whose boyfriend (Keitel) tries to kill her because he's in the Mafia and what not.

I found this quite boring and I already knew literally everything that was going to happen because it was so utterly clichéd and routine. Goldberg is OK but not as funny as she or the director thinks and Keitel is on cruise control.

"Sister Act" might have made a fuss in '92 but by today's standards (and, I suspect, even back then) it's a waste of space. The fact that they immediately cashed in with a sequel only one year later is worse than most of the sequel syndromes Hollywood is suffering from today -- at least "xXx2" came out more than one year after the original!

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!

'Sister Act (1992)' is absolutely fine. I mean, really, it's fine. That's kind of the problem, though. It's utterly unmemorable. It doesn't do anything badly - in fact, it's competently constructed in every aspect - but it doesn't do anything particularly well, either. It's also so predictable that you could probably turn it off at any point and still have a good idea how the rest of the story is going to play out. Of course, it has moments that work better than others; the segments in which our hero helps to train a choir stand out as the picture's best, for example. However, as a whole, the piece is kind of generic and bland. It's not bad by any means, just mediocre. 5/10

This is a great movie. It is light, interesting, funny, and - well, just great. The plot is not extremely predictable, though you can tell what could happen after a while. All the characters were entertaining. The night club scene with Mary Roberts, Mary Clarence, and Kathy Najimy's character was great... as was the scene where Delores becomes Mary Clarence and the nuns in church here her yell at Mother Superior because of the wardrobe.

A Nevada club singer named Deloris(Whoopi Goldberg) is forced into the witness protection after accidentally seeing a murder by her mobster lover(Harvey Keitel). The police lieutenant(Bill Nunn) hide her and she takes shelter into a convent ruled by a stiff and waspish Mother Superior(the eminent Dame ,Maggie Smith). The Reno lounge singer donning nun's habit and organising the convent choir formed by sympathetic nuns who steal best laughs(Wendy Makkenna,Kathy Najimy, Mary Wickes, among others) and including a concert with presence of Pope John Pablo II.

This amusing film with some genuinely funny moments follows the formula about a fish out water. Motormouth Whoopi Goldberg is pretty well the complete show and good performances for likable nuns,Makenna, Najimy and veteran Wickes and excellent Maggie Smith who disapproves modern methods. The musical numbers with a 'Diana Ross and the Supremes style', magical choreography and songs are catchy and done with gusto. The movie is amused and entertained with bemusing set pieces but don't let it make you expect too much. Well-done musical score with swinging tunes by Marc Shaiman and colorful cinematography by Adam Grenberg. The film is geared directly toward Whoopi Goldberg fans and young viewers .The motion picture is professionally directed by Emile Ardolino and was a surprising box office hit. Ardolino's speciality was dance and musicals. As it was, a semi-musical 'Dirty dancing', made his name in the cinema after years of Television specials and almost all the best moments in his few subsequent pictures were musical ones. Another speciality were comedies, such as he proved in '3 men and a little lady' and 'Chances are' . 'Dirty dancing and Sister act'were the biggest hits of his short films career , but he early died from AIDS. Followed by 'Sister act : Back in the habit', with similar casting and set in a rundown High School.

This film is just a riot. It's well-written, smart, witty and very funny.

It's been a family favourite for us for years! Whoopi Goldberg is an absolute star and the camera loves her.

When an American (Californian) former nightclub singer needs to go into hiding and enters a protection programme...she joins a convent of all places.

Despite seeming out of place, she still connects with the other characters and makes her mark on the choir.

The singing is fantastic and the story is soul-warming. Highly, highly recommend this film if you're feeling blue and need a laugh. Whoopi would bring a smile to anyone's face.

I just watched this again on video. It's been 13 years since this movie was released, and it is still hilarious...even though there must've been at least 6 screenwriters, this movie is still wittier than most comedies nowadays. Structurally, it moves at the right pace, and it's likely one of the best movies Paul Rudnick and Carrie Fisher didn't write! But certainly, thank God, for Scott Rudin and his taste and knack for getting movies like this made.

Definitely, one of the most memorable movies of the 90s and one of the best comedies ever. And as an ensemble, one of the best cast movies ever--Maggie Smith was genius casting, Kathy Najimy, Wendy McKenna and other main characters couldn't have been better, and whatever confluence brought Whoopi Goldberg to this part instead of Bette Midler can only be deemed fate. It makes one wonder whether movies with all these corporate parents, bottom lines and marketing trickery nowadays will ever get back to a golden period of just being good.

Great Movie great cast Whoopi Goldberg is great she is good in this movie Harvey Kietel is good Kathy Najimy is hysterical in this movie she is funny 2 time academy award winner Maggie Smith is incredible in this movie an it's sequel Sister Act 2 released in (1993) Mary Wicks is also great and the actress who plays the rappin grandmother is in The Wedding Singer is in this movie as one of the nuns this is a good movie later a broadway show I recommend this movie and the sequel and Whoopi Goldberg movies she is a terrific movie star can you believe the part of Dolores was written for Bette Midler Bette Midler would have been good but I'm glad it went to Whoopi Goldberg.

Reality check: please listen to the dialog very carefully, folks - the script for this film was clearly written for a young Chicano actress (I can think of at a half-dozen who could have pulled it off without sweating). So how did Whoopi Goldberg (?!) get to be the star of this film?! Hollywood once again shows that it doesn't care, and that it assumes we don't either. And since this film was a box-office hit, maybe they're right.

Since Goldberg is a good comic actress, and there are some funny lines and bits in the film, it's not a total waste. Still, it's so wholly unbelievable, it doesn't even make good fantasy.

By the way, if you raised a Roman Catholic and you thought this a great film, you better get to confession right away, because this film insults, not just the Church, but its essential doctrines left and right. This would be fine in a satire - which may have been its original intent - but in a simple 'entertainment', this is grossly offensive.

Everything else about the film is just more banal Hollywood - utterly forgettable if it didn't leave such a sour taste.

Sister Act was just absolutely wonderful. We all enjoyed watching this and had so much fun with it. I expected it to be extremely and heavily religious and cheesy, but really, it's none of those things. An original plot, executed wonderfully, and engaging and natural dialogue with humor and comedy that is well placed and hilarious. The acting is just so good, they fit their characters well and gave us brilliant performances. They wrote the characters so realistically they are all given their own flaws and quirks and I love it! Whoopi Goldberg is absolutely terrific in this role. It's a sweet and heartwarming story about friendship, with it's fair share of thrills and excitement. Not at all outdated, I was worried it was going to be. It got a little too goofy towards the end, but other than that, this movie is just pure perfection. If you're worried about it being overly religious, it really isn't, or at least, in my opinion it isn't. I'm glad it isn't. But in all seriousness, I can't find a reason to hate it. I definitely recommend this movie. You won't regret it!

One of the 20th century's greatest female performers, Whoopi Goldberg doesn't fail to impress in this light-hearted look at an ex-lounge singer who is forced into hiding at a convent, after witnessing her lover shoot somebody.

It's outrageously funny and Deloris has soooooo many funny lines, you won't be able to contain yourself. When asked to name all the Apostles, a young Deloris replies: 'John, Paul, George... and... Ringo!' and when told by the Cops she'd have to hide from her lover, her reaction was: 'What are you gonna do, stick me in a bag and bury me? FORGET IT!'

Whoopi puts in yet another fantastic performance (acting and singing wise), and Maggie Smith is great as Mother Superior. Harvey Kietel portrays Deloris' shady lover, and one of the funniest characters is the one played by Kathy Najimy (before 'Veronica's Closet' and 'King Of The Hill'). Wendy Makkena plays Sister Mary Roberts, and the remaining Nuns are also really good.

The Nun's get stuck into helping rid the city of sin - cleaning buildings etc. And along the way, Deloris gets stuck into leading the church choir. With her help, she transforms the off-key, no-hoping choir into a funky-type singing group, and this attracts attention from the streets, and from The Pope.

A fantastic movie, and Whoopi yet again delivers a flawless performance, stealing the show with her cool voice, witty one-liners and, well, that hair! Awesome stuff! 8/10