Sister Act Film Review

• Released: 1992
• Running Time: 100 minutes
• Genre: Crime, Comedy, Fantasy
• Budget: $31,000,000 (estimated)

Sister Act is one of those films I could watch over and over again. Whoopi Goldberg has always been a fantastic actress. She excels at any films she does, and I've always enjoyed watching the movies she's appeared in. This is a film I've had in my DVD collection for a number of years now, and still enjoy watching it when it comes on TV.

The film begins in 1968 in a strict Catholic school when she is told off by her Nun teacher for being rude and disobedient. She tells her she'll get nowhere in live, with Delores grinning the whole time. Roll on a few years and Delores Van Cartier is now a lounge singer in Reno, Nevada. The club is run by her mobster boyfriend, Vince. When Delores inadvertently walks in on Vince and his 2 henchmen murdering the chauffeur for betrayal, Vince orders them to murder her too. Joey and Willy, the 2 henchmen, aren't the brightest sparks around though, but still, do as they are told and whilst Delores flees from the club, they hotfoot it after her.

Delores makes it to the local Police Station where she meets Lieutenant Eddie Souther, who tells her he will hide her in the last place they will expect to find her - a convent. This is where we first meet Maggie Smith, who plays the Reverend Mother. Delores is most certainly not the religious type and finds it very difficult to adapt to life in the convent. It is comical to see her adjust to life, and with the Reverend Mother slowly losing patience with her, we watch how the pair learn to live and cope with each other.

With Delores under the assumed name of Sister Mary Clarence, she is given the task of sorting out the failing choir of nuns. With a musical background, it only seems apt that she tries to get these nuns to sing in unison. With Delores/Mary now in charge of the choir, and by all accounts, doing a good job of it, she has the dilemma of still remaining undercover from her mobster boyfriend and trying to do a good job with her fellow musical sisters.

Sister Act has since been on stage as a musical production. I think Whoopi Goldberg excels herself in this film. It's one I can watch again and again and still enjoy singing along to the songs. It has dramatic moment in it, yet has comedy value to it too. Similarly, Maggie Smith is a renowned and admired actress, and I think both her and Whoppi make an excellent partnership on screen. I like how Whoppi interacts with the choir and the songs they sing are foot tapping and catchy. This is an uplifting, feel-good film which I always enjoy watching.

The storyline is good, and I like the part Harvey Keitel plays as the mobster boyfriend. Although the DVD I have in my collection doesn't have many extra's on it, it's still a DVD I'm glad I got in my collection. Just out of interest, the group that Delores is in at the start of the film, The Ronelles, is a combination of The Shirelles and The Ronettes, groups from the 60's. There are plenty of songs in the movie. The Ronelles, the group Delores is in at the start of the group, sing a selection of 60's music and I feel this is a good setting for the storyline. We get to see right at the beginning that is going to be a film packed with a variety of music and classic songs we can all sing along to.