Sister Act (Whoopi Goldberg)

(Amazon UK link)

I don’t think we’d heard of the 1992 film ‘Sister Act’ until about seven years ago when a friend took part in a stage production of the same story. I wasn’t able to see it, and wouldn’t have thought much more about it, but another friend mentioned that the film was excellent. And then Amazon recommended it… so, on a visit to the UK, I found an inexpensive DVD.

Last night we watched it, with little idea what to expect. We knew that someone was going to pretend to be a nun, but that was all. It turns out that Whoopi Goldberg - whom we knew very little about - is the main character, a music hall star called Deloris. She’s in a relationship with a dodgy character called Vince (Harvey Keitel) who is married to someone else, and refuses to leave his wife.

Vince, it turns out, is the leader of a dangerous mob, and Deloris witnesses a terrible crime. She demands police protection, and is sheltered (much to her disgust) at a convent. The Mother Superior is a caring but strict and traditional person, brilliantly portrayed by Maggie Smith. Deloris does not want to conform but realises it’s for her safety, and only for a few weeks until she testify against Vince and his cronies at a trial…

There’s a lot of humour in this film, as the independent, sassy Deloris questions the rules, makes friends with some of the other nuns, and eventually finds herself involved with the choir. Unfortunately the choir has a reputation for terrible, tuneless singing…

There’s quite a bit of music in this film, although I’m not sure it could be classed as a musical, exactly. And there’s a strong religious - Catholic - theme, done extremely well. The other nuns are devout, if a little frustrated at times that their order is so inward-looking rather than getting out into the locality and meeting people. The priest is broad-minded and caring, the Mother Superior willing to admit when she’s wrong, and open - eventually - to changing her attitudes. There’s a lot of love, in the best sense of the word.

We thought it extremely well done, very well cast, and with a good storyline. The rating is PG which reflects the lack of any nudity and only minimal bad language, although there are occasional references to sex. There are chases involving guns and some shooting, but no gore or physical violence is portrayed, though it’s clear what happens in a couple of cases. It’s unlikely to be of interest to anyone under the age of about twelve or thirteen anyway.

Definitely recommended for a light evening’s viewing with an unusual storyline.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's DVD Reviews