Sister Act
3/4
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Bill Nunn, Harvey Keitel, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Mary Wickes
Rated PG for Mild Violence and Language
To me, one of the most unrecognized sources of amusement, or at the very least a sense of "cool," is having established characters break out and let loose. An example is in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," where it opens with a standard cartoon short but someone yells cut and the baby starts talking like boy from Joisey and saying things like "Hiya, toots!" That's funny.
Consider "Sister Act," where a group of nuns start dancing and singing hymns arranged to the music of showtunes. And later, they guilt a man into flying them to Vegas to save one of their own from a nasty end. Now, nuns are known to be dignified and proper, which most of them are, I imagine. But I doubt they are humorless. I think that they have more fun than we give them credit for. Whether or not they go about it in the same way that the nuns at St. Katherine's Church in San Francisco, I'll never know. But that doesn't mean the movie is any less fun.
After a brief (and rather flat) opening, the film begins in Reno. Lounge singer Dolores Van Cartier (Goldberg) is sleeping with a small time mob boss named Vince (Keitel) in the hopes of launching a successful singing career. She's not getting off to a good start, however, since her only audience is made up of barflys and people playing the slots. Dolores is fed up with Vince being unwilling to marry her so she walks out on him. But as she's returning a fur coat that he gave her (it was originally his wife's), she witnesses him putting a bullet in a guy's head. She goes to the cops, who stick her in the last place Vince would ever look: a convent. Naturally, Dolores would rather take her chances with Vince, but the detective, a guy named Souther (Nunn), forces her to stay. Now known as Sister Mary Clarence, she is forced to keep up the charade but it doesn't go well. The Mother Superior (Smith) then sends her to sing in the godawful choir, which she transforms into a mix of gospel and Motown in no short order. But success, as we know, has a price.
The acting is solid. Whoopi Goldberg does her thing, although one wishes she got better lines in some scenes. Maggie Smith is wonderful (is she ever not?), although it might have been more amusing if she had allowed herself to have some fun playing the role. Smith takes her performance very seriously, and while there's no question that it works, it might have been better if she had chewed on the scenery a little. Even a Dame deserves to have fun. Harvey Keitel does his best Robert DeNiro impression (and it might have been funnier if Scorcese's right hand man had been cast in the role) as the low-level mobster. The supporting nuns are where the true spark lies. Kathy Najimy plays Sister Mary Patrick as a big woman who is bursting with energy; she's hardly ever able to contain herself. On the flip side, there's Sister Mary Robert (Makkena), who is shy and timid. Both are very good.
The whole movie is kind of like that. What's there is definitely good, but it could have been better. Emile Ardolino's work is solid, but the timing should have been crisper. There are enough funny moments (especially when Dolores starts teaching the choir) to make it worth seeing, but the flatter moments should have been funnier.
Oh, I do recommend the film. It was a big hit when it was released (and got a sequel), and that doesn't surprise me. This is the kind of entertainment that defines the term "crowd pleaser." Even if it is flawed.
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Bill Nunn, Harvey Keitel, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Mary Wickes
Rated PG for Mild Violence and Language
To me, one of the most unrecognized sources of amusement, or at the very least a sense of "cool," is having established characters break out and let loose. An example is in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," where it opens with a standard cartoon short but someone yells cut and the baby starts talking like boy from Joisey and saying things like "Hiya, toots!" That's funny.
Consider "Sister Act," where a group of nuns start dancing and singing hymns arranged to the music of showtunes. And later, they guilt a man into flying them to Vegas to save one of their own from a nasty end. Now, nuns are known to be dignified and proper, which most of them are, I imagine. But I doubt they are humorless. I think that they have more fun than we give them credit for. Whether or not they go about it in the same way that the nuns at St. Katherine's Church in San Francisco, I'll never know. But that doesn't mean the movie is any less fun.
After a brief (and rather flat) opening, the film begins in Reno. Lounge singer Dolores Van Cartier (Goldberg) is sleeping with a small time mob boss named Vince (Keitel) in the hopes of launching a successful singing career. She's not getting off to a good start, however, since her only audience is made up of barflys and people playing the slots. Dolores is fed up with Vince being unwilling to marry her so she walks out on him. But as she's returning a fur coat that he gave her (it was originally his wife's), she witnesses him putting a bullet in a guy's head. She goes to the cops, who stick her in the last place Vince would ever look: a convent. Naturally, Dolores would rather take her chances with Vince, but the detective, a guy named Souther (Nunn), forces her to stay. Now known as Sister Mary Clarence, she is forced to keep up the charade but it doesn't go well. The Mother Superior (Smith) then sends her to sing in the godawful choir, which she transforms into a mix of gospel and Motown in no short order. But success, as we know, has a price.
The acting is solid. Whoopi Goldberg does her thing, although one wishes she got better lines in some scenes. Maggie Smith is wonderful (is she ever not?), although it might have been more amusing if she had allowed herself to have some fun playing the role. Smith takes her performance very seriously, and while there's no question that it works, it might have been better if she had chewed on the scenery a little. Even a Dame deserves to have fun. Harvey Keitel does his best Robert DeNiro impression (and it might have been funnier if Scorcese's right hand man had been cast in the role) as the low-level mobster. The supporting nuns are where the true spark lies. Kathy Najimy plays Sister Mary Patrick as a big woman who is bursting with energy; she's hardly ever able to contain herself. On the flip side, there's Sister Mary Robert (Makkena), who is shy and timid. Both are very good.
The whole movie is kind of like that. What's there is definitely good, but it could have been better. Emile Ardolino's work is solid, but the timing should have been crisper. There are enough funny moments (especially when Dolores starts teaching the choir) to make it worth seeing, but the flatter moments should have been funnier.
Oh, I do recommend the film. It was a big hit when it was released (and got a sequel), and that doesn't surprise me. This is the kind of entertainment that defines the term "crowd pleaser." Even if it is flawed.
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