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Sister Act

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This article is about the film. For other uses, see Sister Act (disambiguation).

Sister Act
The backs of a row of nuns wearing white habits. Standing out, a nun in a black and white habit wearing sunglasses and red high heeled shoes.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEmile Ardolino
Written byPaul Rudnick (as Joseph Howard)
Starring
CinematographyAdam Greenberg
Edited by
Music byMarc Shaiman
Production
companies
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • May 29, 1992 (1992-05-29)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$31 million[2]
Box office$231.6 million[3]

Sister Act is a 1992 American comedy film, directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Paul Rudnick (as Joseph Howard), with musical arrangements by Marc Shaiman. The film stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to join a convent after being placed in a witness protection program, who in turn helps them to rejuvenate the surrounding neighbourhood by transforming their troubled choir. The cast included Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Mary Wickes, and Harvey Keitel.

Sister Act was one of the more financially successful comedies of the early 1990s, grossing $231 million worldwide. The film spawned a franchise, which consists of the 1993 sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit and a musical adaptation, which premiered in 2006. A remake of Sister Act is in the works.[4][5] On December 7, 2018, it was confirmed that Regina Y. Hicks and Karin Gist were hired to write the script to Sister Act 3 to be released on Disney+.[6]

Plot

In 1968, Deloris Wilson is a young Catholic school student, who is less than serious about her studies, greatly embarrassing her nun teachers. Twenty-four years later, in 1992, Deloris works as a lounge singer in Reno, Nevada, performing under the stage name of Deloris Van Cartier. After she witnesses her gangster boyfriend Vince LaRocca execute an informant, police lieutenant Eddie Souther places her in witness protection. She is brought to Saint Katherine's Convent, a part of Saint Katherine's Parish, located in a run-down neighborhood in San Francisco. Both Deloris and the convent's head nun, the "Reverend Mother", object to this, but are convinced otherwise to do so, the latter by Monsignor O'Hara, the local parish priest, due to the police offering a healthy donation to the convent for their aid.

Disguised as "Sister Mary Clarence", Deloris initially has difficulty dealing with the rigid and simple convent life, but befriends some of the nuns - Sister Mary Patrick, the elderly Sister Mary Lazarus and the Novice Sister Mary Robert - in the process. At the same time, she discovers that St. Katherine's is poorly attended, due in part to the lackluster performance of the convent choir led by Mary Lazarus. After being caught sneaking out of the convent to visit a local bar, the Reverend Mother orders Deloris to join the struggling choir. In doing so, she finds herself asked by Mary Robert to help them, due to her alias being described as a former choir master. Deloris swiftly uses her singing experience to help the group, and improves their singing ability.

At the next Sunday Mass, Deloris leads the choir as its new director, who perform far better with a traditional hymn, before shifting to a combined Gospel and Rock and Roll interpretation. Although the Reverend Mother is infuriated, O'Hara congratulates their performance after it drew in new people to the service. Convinced by this, Deloris inspires the convent to do work in the neighborhood and clean it up. Through their efforts and the choir's singing, the neighbourhood begins to transform and the parish begins to thrive, attracting media attention. Eventually, after performing a rendition of "My Guy" – rewritten and performed as "My God" - O'Hara reveals that Pope John Paul II, having heard of the choir's success, will visit the church during his visit of the United States. Feeling out of place due to Deloris' efforts, the Reverend Mother reveals to her she plans to move to another convent, just as Deloris discovers her court date as a witness is fast approaching.

As the Pope's arrival slowly approached, Souther arrives at St. Katherine's to remove Deloris, after a corrupt detective passed on her location to Vince. Not willing to leave, Deloris attempts to escape him, but ends up being captured by Vince's men. When the choir learns of this, the Reverend Mother is forced to come clean about Mary Clarence's background. Realizing the group feel unable to sing without her and asked for help, she decides they should rescue her. Travelling to Reno, the group find Deloris attempting to escape Vince's men in his casino, after narrowly avoiding her execution due to the men's relunctance to kill her while dressed as a nun. The group soon become trapped, but are rescued in time by Souther and his men who arrest Vince and his henchmen.

Despite the trouble she had caused, the Reverend Mother thanks Deloris for her actions, revealing she intends to remain as abbess of the convent. Returning to San Francisco, the choir, led by Deloris, sing "I Will Follow Him" to a packed audience in a refurbished Saint Katherine's, receiving a standing ovation from all, including the Pope, Monsignor O'Hara, and Souther. In the closing credits, Deloris continues to guide and coach the choir as a touring musical group, as well as relaunching her singing career.

Cast

Choir nuns

Production

St. Paul's Catholic Church in San Francisco, used in the film as Saint Katherine's

Screenwriter Paul Rudnick pitched Sister Act to producer Scott Rudin in 1987, with Bette Midler in mind for the lead role. The script was brought to Disney.[7] However, Midler turned down the role, fearing that her fans would not want to see her play a nun.[7] Eventually, Whoopi Goldberg signed on to play the lead. As production commenced, the script was rewritten by a half dozen screenwriters, including Carrie Fisher, Robert Harling, and Nancy Meyers.[8] With the movie no longer resembling his original script, Rudnick asked to be credited with a pseudonym in the film, deciding on Joseph Howard.[7]

The church in which Deloris takes sanctuary is St. Paul's Catholic Church, located at Valley and Church Streets in Noe Valley, an upper-middle-class neighborhood of San Francisco. The storefronts on the opposite side of the street were redressed to give the appearance of a run-down neighborhood. Filming took place from September 23, 1991 (1991-09-23) to December 20, 1991 (1991-12-20).[citation needed]

Though the order of the nuns in the film is said to be a Carmelite one by Sister Mary Patrick, their religious habit is similar in appearance to that of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis (minus the cross).[9] Members of the real-life Order, however, no longer wear their traditional habit.[10]

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was released by Hollywood Records on June 9, 1992, in conjunction with the film, and contained the musical numbers performed by actors in the film itself, pre-recorded songs that were used as part of the background music, and instrumental music composed by Marc Shaiman for the film. The soundtrack album debuted at #74 and eventually reached #40 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart[11] where it charted for 54 weeks. The album received a Gold certification from the RIAA for shipment of 500,000 copies on January 13, 1993.[12] The album was certified platinum in Australia.[13]

  1. "The Lounge Medley" ("(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave"/"My Guy"/"I Will Follow Him") — Deloris & The Ronelles
  2. "The Murder" (Instrumental)
  3. "Getting into the Habit" (Instrumental)
  4. "Rescue Me" — Fontella Bass
  5. "Hail Holy Queen" — Deloris & The Sisters
  6. "Roll With Me Henry" — Etta James
  7. "Gravy for My Mashed Potatoes" — Dee Dee Sharp
  8. "My Guy (My God)" — Deloris & The Sisters
  9. "Just a Touch of Love (Everyday)" — C+C Music Factory
  10. "Deloris Is Kidnapped" (Instrumental)
  11. "Nuns to the Rescue" (Instrumental)
  12. "Finale: I Will Follow Him ('Chariot')" — Deloris & The Sisters
  13. "Shout" — Deloris & The Sisters & The Ronelles
  14. "If My Sister's in Trouble" — Lady Soul
  • The singing voice for the character of Mary Robert was performed by Andrea Robinson.

Reception

The film received a generally positive reception from critics, holding a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Looking for a sweet musical comedy about a witness to a crime hiding out from killers in a convent? There's nun better than Sister Act."[14] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave Sister Act 2.5 stars out of a possible 4. He wrote that Goldberg and Wickes both offered humorous performances but the film overall "plays like a missed opportunity" due to slow pacing and trouble integrating the organized crime scenes into a comedy film.[15] Metacritic gave the film a score of 51 based on the 23 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[17]

Box office

The film was a box-office success, grossing $139.6 million in the U.S. and $92 million in other countries, effectively grossing $231.6 million worldwide, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film worldwide in 1992. It sat at the #2 spot for four weeks, behind Lethal Weapon 3, Patriot Games and Batman Returns in succession.[3]

Awards and nominations

Award Category Nominee(s) Result
20/20 Awards Best Actress Whoopi Goldberg Nominated
American Comedy Awards Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) Won
Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Kathy Najimy Won
Maggie Smith Nominated
Mary Wickes Nominated
Artios Awards[18] Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film Casting – Comedy Judy Taylor, Lynda Gordon, Geoffrey Johnson, Vincent Liff and Andrew Zerman Nominated
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Top Box Office Films Marc Shaiman Won
Awards Circuit Community Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role Whoopi Goldberg Won
Golden Globe Awards[19] Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Whoopi Goldberg Nominated
Golden Screen Awards Won
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actress Whoopi Goldberg Won
Movieguide Awards Best Movie for Mature Audiences Won
MTV Movie Awards Best Female Performance Whoopi Goldberg Nominated
Best Comedic Performance Nominated
Best Breakthrough Performance Kathy Najimy Nominated
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Motion Picture Won
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Whoopi Goldberg Won
People's Choice Awards Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Won[a]

The film is also recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Controversy and lawsuits

On June 10, 1993, actress Donna Douglas and her partner Curt Wilson in Associated Artists Entertainment, Inc., filed a $200 million lawsuit against Disney, Whoopi Goldberg, Bette Midler, their production companies, and Creative Artists Agency claiming the film was plagiarized from the book A Nun in the Closet, owned by the partners. Douglas and Wilson argued that, in 1985, they had developed a screenplay for the book, which had been submitted to Disney, Goldberg, and Midler three times during 1987 and 1988. The lawsuit noted over 100 similarities between the movie and the book/screenplay as evidence of plagiarism.[21] In 1994, Douglas and Wilson declined a $1 million offer in an attempt to win the case. The judge found in favor of Disney and the other defendants. Wilson stated at the time: "They would have had to copy our stuff verbatim for us to prevail."[22]

In November 2011, a nun named Delois Blakely filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company and Sony Pictures claiming that The Harlem Street Nun, an autobiography she wrote in 1987, was the basis for the 1992 film. She alleged that a movie executive expressed an interest in the movie rights after she wrote a three-page synopsis. She sued for "breach of contract, misappropriation of likeness and unjust enrichment."[23] Blakely dropped the original lawsuit in January 2012 to serve a more robust lawsuit in late August 2012 with the New York Supreme Court, asking for $1 billion in damages from Disney.[24][25] In early February 2013, the New York Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, awarding no damages to Blakely.[26]

Home media

The Region 1 DVD was released on November 6, 2001; however, the disc has no anamorphic enhancement, similar to early DVDs from Buena Vista Home Entertainment.[citation needed] Special Features include the film's theatrical trailer; music videos for "I Will Follow Him" by Deloris and the Sisters, and "If My Sister's in Trouble" by Lady Soul, both of which contain clips from the film; and a featurette titled "Inside Sister Act: The Making Of".[citation needed]

The all-region Blu-ray including both films was released on June 19, 2012, with both films presented in 1080p. The three-disc set also includes both films on DVD with the same bonus features as previous releases.[27]

Musical

A musical based on the film played at The Broadway Theatre in Times Square, Manhattan, beginning in 2011.
Main article: Sister Act (musical)

The musical Sister Act, directed by Peter Schneider and choreographed by Marguerite Derricks, premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California on October 24, 2006, and closed on December 23, 2006.[28] It broke records, grossing $1,085,929 to become the highest grossing show ever at the venue.[29] The production then moved to the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, where it ran from January 17 to February 25, 2007.[30]

The musical then opened in the West End at the London Palladium on June 2, 2009, following previews from May 7. The production was directed by Peter Schneider, produced by Whoopi Goldberg together with the Dutch company Stage Entertainment, and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast, with set design by Klara Zieglerova, costume design by Lez Brotherston and lighting design by Natasha Katz.[31][32] Following a year-long search, 24-year-old actress Patina Miller was cast as Deloris, alongside Sheila Hancock as the Mother Superior, Ian Lavender as Monsignor Howard, Chris Jarman as Shank, Ako Mitchell as Eddie, Katie Rowley Jones as Sister Mary Robert, Claire Greenway as Sister Mary Patrick and Julia Sutton as Sister Mary Lazarus.[33] The musical received four Laurence Olivier Awards nominations, including Best Musical.[34] On October 30, 2010, the show played its final performance at the London Palladium and transferred to Broadway.[35]

The musical opened at the Broadway Theatre on April 20, 2011, with previews beginning March 24, 2011.[36] Jerry Zaks directed the Broadway production[37] with Douglas Carter Beane rewriting the book.[38] Miller, who originated the role of Deloris in the West End production, reprised her role, making her Broadway debut. She was replaced by Raven-Symoné, also making her Broadway debut. The original Broadway cast featured Victoria Clark (Mother Superior), Fred Applegate (Monsignor), Sarah Bolt (Sister Mary Patrick), Chester Gregory (Eddie), Kingsley Leggs (Curtis), Marla Mindelle (Sister Mary Robert) and Audrie Neenan (Sister Mary Lazarus).[39] The musical received five Tony Award nominations including Best Musical.[40]

The musical closed, in August 2012, after 561 performances.

References

  1. ^ "Sister Act (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. June 9, 1992. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "Sister Act". PowerGrid. The Wrap. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Sister Act (1992) - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com.
  4. ^ Pulver, Andrew (June 3, 2015). "Back in the habit: Sister Act to be remade by Disney" – via The Guardian.
  5. ^ "14 Faithful Facts About Sister Act". Mental Floss. May 29, 2017.
  6. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 7, 2018). "'Sister Act 3': 'Insecure' Executive Producer, 'Star' Showrunner to Write Sequel". Variety.
  7. ^ a b c Rudnick, Paul (July 20, 2009). "Fun With Nuns". The New Yorker. pp. 37–41. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  8. ^ "Sister Act (1992)". IMDb.
  9. ^ "Image".
  10. ^ "Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis". www.ssj-tosf.org.
  11. ^ "Top 200 Albums - Billboard". Billboard. January 22, 2015.
  12. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - November 03, 2015". riaa.
  13. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 311.
  14. ^ Sister Act at Rotten Tomatoes
  15. ^ "Sister Act movie review & film summary (1992) | Roger Ebert".
  16. ^ "Sister Act Reviews". Metacritic.
  17. ^ "Cinemascore :: Movie Title Search". December 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Casting Society of America. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "Sister Act – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  20. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs Nominees" (PDF).
  21. ^ Haring, Bruce (June 10, 1993), $200 mil suit targets 'Sister Act', Variety, retrieved January 2, 2012
  22. ^ Friend, Tad (September 1998), "Copy Cats: Hollywood Stole My Story!", The New Yorker, archived from the original on March 18, 2012, retrieved January 2, 2012
  23. ^ Gardner, Eriq (November 10, 2011), Harlem Nun Sues Disney, Sony Claiming They Stole 'Sister Act': File under, "Divine Inspiration.", The Hollywood Reporter, retrieved January 3, 2012
  24. ^ "Nun Sues Disney for $1B Over 'Sister Act'". TheWrap. August 31, 2012.
  25. ^ Shoard, Catherine (November 11, 2011). "Nun sues Disney for 'stealing Sister Act'". The Guardian. London.
  26. ^ New York Supreme Court Decision
  27. ^ "Sister Act: 20th Anniversary Edition - Two-Movie Collection (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (1992)". Amazon. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  28. ^ Hernandez, Ernio."Sister Act — Musical Based on Film — Opens World-Premiere Run November 3" Archived July 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, playbill.com, November 2006
  29. ^ Sister Act Sets Pasadena Playhouse Record broadwayworld.com
  30. ^ "SISTER ACT the Musical listing"[permanent dead link], alliancetheatre.org, accessed November 27, 2008
  31. ^ Gans, Andrew."Habit Forming: Whoopi Goldberg to Produce London Premiere of Sister Act" Archived January 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, playbill.com, November 13, 2008
  32. ^ Official Website Archived September 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine sisteractthemusical.com
  33. ^ Sister Act, A Divine Musical Comedy."Sister Act Cast is announced" Archived July 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, sisteractthemusical.com, January 29, 2009
  34. ^ "Spring Awakening, Enron and Red Score Big in Olivier Nominations". Playbill. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010.
  35. ^ "West End's Sister Act to Vacate London Palladium Oct. 30; Future Plans Announced". Playbill. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012.
  36. ^ "Sister Act The Musical Will Open at the Broadway Theatre in April 2011". Playbill. Archived from the original on December 16, 2010.
  37. ^ BWW News Desk (July 8, 2010). "SISTER ACT Confirms Broadway for Spring 2011; Zaks to Direct". BroadwayWorld.com.
  38. ^ "It's Official: Douglas Carter Beane Joins 'Sister Act' Team". Broadwayworld.com, February 28, 2011
  39. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Victoria Clark, Fred Applegate, Chester Gregory Will Be Part of Broadway's 'Sister Act' " Archived February 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Playbill.com, February 1, 2011
  40. ^ "2011 Tony Nominations Announced; Book of Mormon Earns 14 Nominations". Playbill. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  1. ^ Tied with Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
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