After almost 20 years, the 1992 music-filled hit comedy still works fine. Whoopi Goldberg plays Deloris van Cartier, a lounge singer with a shady gangster boyfriend Vince (Harvey Keitel). After she accidentally witnesses his involvement in a murder, she flees and is placed in protective custody in a San Francisco nun convent to wait for Vince's trial. Bored with the nuns' quiet way of life, she ends up joining the convent's lousy choir and helps the Sisters find their suppressed joy of life again, also boosting the church's popularity among the public as a side effect. The fame is not solely a good thing though, as Vince and his goons are still very much keen on eliminating Deloris.
Much of the comedy stems from Goldberg's charisma and the initial incompatibility of her flamboyant antics with the usual humble life in the convent. Despite living under the strict control of the Reverend Mother (Maggie Smith), the nuns have their joyous side hidden under their habits: I especially enjoyed the performances of Kathy Najimy as the bubbly Sister Mary Patrick and the adorable Wendy Makkena as the young and insecure postulant Mary Robert. Later on the film turns more action-packed after the Sisters travel to Reno, Dakota to help out the kidnapped Deloris a.k.a. Sister Mary Clarence; while I prefer the earlier, more down-to-earth scenes at the convent, the bumbling stays mostly under control and doesn't distract too much from the main appeal, that is the singing nuns.
The best parts of the movie are the catchy pop songs that Deloris teaches to the inept choir, such as "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave", "My Guy" and "Shout". The montage set to C+C Music Factory's "Just a Touch of Love (Everyday)" is also a highlight among the scenes picturing the mutual development of the nuns and Deloris who learns to accept a calmer, more spiritual attitude to life during her time with the Sisters. Fortunately the movie doesn't overdo the Christian message though and contents itself with a more general theme of love and forgiveness. At the end of the day, the songs combined with the energetic performances and lovable characters provide a pleasant movie suitable for most ages – nothing completely awesome, but not every movie needs to be.
Much of the comedy stems from Goldberg's charisma and the initial incompatibility of her flamboyant antics with the usual humble life in the convent. Despite living under the strict control of the Reverend Mother (Maggie Smith), the nuns have their joyous side hidden under their habits: I especially enjoyed the performances of Kathy Najimy as the bubbly Sister Mary Patrick and the adorable Wendy Makkena as the young and insecure postulant Mary Robert. Later on the film turns more action-packed after the Sisters travel to Reno, Dakota to help out the kidnapped Deloris a.k.a. Sister Mary Clarence; while I prefer the earlier, more down-to-earth scenes at the convent, the bumbling stays mostly under control and doesn't distract too much from the main appeal, that is the singing nuns.
The best parts of the movie are the catchy pop songs that Deloris teaches to the inept choir, such as "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave", "My Guy" and "Shout". The montage set to C+C Music Factory's "Just a Touch of Love (Everyday)" is also a highlight among the scenes picturing the mutual development of the nuns and Deloris who learns to accept a calmer, more spiritual attitude to life during her time with the Sisters. Fortunately the movie doesn't overdo the Christian message though and contents itself with a more general theme of love and forgiveness. At the end of the day, the songs combined with the energetic performances and lovable characters provide a pleasant movie suitable for most ages – nothing completely awesome, but not every movie needs to be.