NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Sister Act

Sister Act is a 1992 American comedy film released by Touchstone Pictures. Directed by Emile Ardolino, it features musical arrangements by Marc Shaiman and stars Whoopi Goldberg as a Reno lounge singer who has to impersonate a nun in a San Francisco convent when a mob boss puts her on his hit list. Also in the cast are Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Mary Wickes, and Harvey Keitel. The film is #83 on Bravo's The 100 Funniest Movies list. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Emile Ardolino (born May 9, 1943 in Queens, New York; died November 20, 1993) was an American film director and producer. ... Scott Rudin (born July 14, 1958) is an American motion picture producer known not only for his award-winning films, but also for his legendary temper. ... Whoopi Goldberg performing stand-up at a benefit for Rainforest Action Network. ... Marc Shaiman (born October 22, 1959) is a composer, lyricist, arranger and performer for films, television and theatre. ... Touchstone Pictures (also known as Touchstone Films in its early years) is one of several alternate film labels of The Walt Disney Company, established in 1984. ... is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit is a 1993 movie starring the singer Whoopi Goldberg, and directed by Bill Duke. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1992. ... Comedy film is genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humor. ... Touchstone Pictures (also known as Touchstone Films in its early years) is one of several alternate film labels of The Walt Disney Company, established in 1984. ... Emile Ardolino (born May 9, 1943 in Queens, New York; died November 20, 1993) was an American film director and producer. ... Marc Shaiman (born October 22, 1959) is a composer, lyricist, arranger and performer for films, television and theatre. ... Whoopi Goldberg performing stand-up at a benefit for Rainforest Action Network. ... Places Reno, Nevada Reno, Pennsylvania Reno, Lamar County, Texas Reno, Parker County, Texas A valley in Italy Other Uses Reno, a Turk from the popular videogame and CG movie by Square-Enix, Final Fantasy VII. Reno a 1939 film A band named Reno Reno is a drug Reno 911! - A... For other uses, see Nun (disambiguation). ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... This article is about an abbey as a religious building. ... Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934), better known as Dame Maggie Smith, is a two-time Academy Award, and Emmy-winning English film, stage, and television actress. ... Kathy Ann Najimy (born February 6, 1957) is an American actress, best known as Olive Massery on the television series Veronicaâ€™s Closet, Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act ,the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill and her role as witch Mary Sanderson... Wendy Makkena (born 4 October 1963) is an American actress, most well known as the young and shy Sister Mary Robert from the Sister Act movies. ... Mary Wickes guest-starring in the television series Zorro (1957-1959) as Dolores Bastinado Mary Wickes, born Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser, (June 13, 1910 - October 22, 1995) was an American film and television actress. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... Bravos, The 100 Funniest Movies is a list of the top 100 comedy movies as determined by Bravo, the U.S. television network. ...

The film was followed by a 1993 sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. It also inspired a musical stage version that premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California in 2006. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit is a 1993 movie starring the singer Whoopi Goldberg, and directed by Bill Duke. ... Sister Act the Musical is a musical with a book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and music by Alan Menken. ... The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic theatre located in Pasadena, California. ... Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ...

Plot

The movie opens on a Catholic elementary school in the Mid 20th-Century upon a young girl, Delores, causing trouble in class and making the Sister teaching the class upset, who warns that Delores will head down the wrong path if she continues such behavior.

In the next scene, Whoopi Goldberg appears as Deloris Van Cartier, the same girl but who grew up to be a Reno, Nevada lounge singer who is dating a (married) mobster Vince LaRocca (Harvey Keitel), not knowing of his criminal connections. Their relationship is strained as Vince refuses to divorce his wife and a dinner between Vince and Delores goes sour. As a token of his apology, Vince sends Delores a purple mink coat, but she is upset to discover it belongs to Vince's wife, Connie, and decides to break up with Vince and move away from him and Reno. â€œRenoâ€ redirects here. ... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ...

At the same time, Vince and his goons, Joey and Willy, who are interrogating Vince's limo driver, Ernie, who was seen exiting a police station where he supposedly was reporting to cops about Vince's criminal activities. Delores on her way to tell Vince that she is going to break off their relationship she inadvertently becomes a witness when walking in on the murder of Ernie. Vince tries to comfort her and ask her about the coat, to which she replies she was happy with it and never tells him she wants to break up with him. After she leaves, Vince orders Joey and Willy to stop her before she leaves the casino, however she narrowly escapes the two and makes her way to the Police Station. A police lieutenant, Eddie Souther, is charged with keeping her safe until she can testify in court against her former boyfriend's activities. She reluctantly goes into hiding as a nun in a Catholic convent, where she wears a habit and is given the name "Sister Mary Clarence". The Mother Superior is also upset at such an event happening in a holy place, but the Monsignor tells her that in exchange for hiding Delores, the church will receive much needed funds for the church which is old and in the working-class neighborhood of San Francisco. For other uses, see Nun (disambiguation). ... This article is about an abbey as a religious building. ... St. ...

She chafes at the austere lifestyle of the convent and grates on the nerves of the Abbess (Maggie Smith), who puts her in the convent's choir (lackluster and off-key) to keep her out of trouble; but this is where she shines, taking over the choir and putting a new touch on old songs. She has the choir swinging and singing to gospel renditions of hymns, and soul music adapted to have religious themes (for example, Mary Wells' "My Guy" changed into "My God"). Despite the protests of the Mother Superior, she brings new vigor into the convent and leads it in cleaning up the surrounding neighborhood. Her efforts draw a lot of attention, even from the Pope himself. Meanwhile, Deloris is finding peace and purpose. The Mother Superior is the nun in charge of a Christian convent. ... Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934), better known as Dame Maggie Smith, is a two-time Academy Award, and Emmy-winning English film, stage, and television actress. ... Gospel music is a musical genre characterized by dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) referencing lyrics of a religious nature, particularly Christian. ... This article is about the novel Soul Music. ... Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 â€“ July 26, 1992) was an American soul, R&B, and pop singer. ... My Guy is a 1964 #1 hit single recorded by Mary Wells for the Motown label. ... Topics in Christianity Movements Â· Denominations Ecumenism Â· Preaching Â· Prayer Music Â· Liturgy Â· Calendar Symbols Â· Art Â· Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul Â· Church Fathers Constantine Â· Athanasius Â· Augustine Anselm Â· Aquinas Â· Palamas Â· Wycliffe Tyndale Â· Luther Â· Calvin Â· Wesley Arius Â· Marcion of Sinope Pope Â· Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box: The Pope (from Latin...

An informant of Vince posing as a cop, uncovers Delores' hide-out via check slips from Reno Police to the Church in San Francisco, and passes the information to Vince. Later when Eddie discovers that slips have been sent to the informant, he rushes back in and has him arrested and hurries off to San Francisco. Eddie tries to have Delores leave with him, but she refuses as she has a commitment to the Pope and the convent. As she exits a restroom with Sister Mary Robert, the two are kidnapped by Willy and Joe. They force them into a car and Eddie then chases them, but they decide to throw Sister Mary Robert out of the car, who is found by Eddie and then returns to the convent with the news of Delores.

The nuns are all upset and were unaware of the double life of Delores, and Mother Superior explains. However, the nuns still want to rescue her, because without Delores the church wouldn't have been repaired and the community wouldn't have prospered again. They then pressure a young helicopter pilot with charity to fly them to Reno. Back in Reno, Vince is upset at Delores and wants her killed by the end of the night. After reluctantly not shooting her, he has Joey and Willy try to shoot her. She escapes from them and joins up with the nuns.

The nuns confuse the three men and the nuns take refuge in an abandoned card room in the casino. However, Vince discovers them and wants to settle his issue with Delores in front of the nuns. But with assistance from the police, Deloris is saved and Vincent is arrested. Mother Superior is quite shaken but is relieved to have Delores again and invites her back to finish her job with the convent with the concert. By the end of the film, Delores has gained the respect and trust of Mother Superior who has finally seen all the good that Delores brought to the parish was from her heart. Deloris and the nuns perform their songs in front of the Pope. Deloris becomes an instant celebrity and everyone rejoices. Her singing career blossoms and in eventually becomes a Las Vegas performer, as seen in the sequel.

The "Person enters a convent to escape retaliation" plot was previously used in the 1990 Eric Idle/Robbie Coltrane comedy Nuns on the Run. Many plot details are very similar between these two films. Eric Idle (born March 29, 1943) is a British comedian, actor, author and writer of comedic songs. ... Robbie Coltrane, OBE (born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950) is a Scottish Television and Film actor. ... Nuns on the Run is a popular British comedy film of 1990, starring Robbie Coltrane and Eric Idle. ...

Cast

Young Deloris in film is played by Isis Carmen Jones, who had previously played a younger version of another of Goldberg's characters (Guinan) in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whoopi Goldberg performing stand-up at a benefit for Rainforest Action Network. ... Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934), better known as Dame Maggie Smith, is a two-time Academy Award, and Emmy-winning English film, stage, and television actress. ... Kathy Ann Najimy (born February 6, 1957) is an American actress, best known as Olive Massery on the television series Veronicaâ€™s Closet, Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act ,the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill and her role as witch Mary Sanderson... Wendy Makkena (born 4 October 1963) is an American actress, most well known as the young and shy Sister Mary Robert from the Sister Act movies. ... Mary Wickes guest-starring in the television series Zorro (1957-1959) as Dolores Bastinado Mary Wickes, born Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser, (June 13, 1910 - October 22, 1995) was an American film and television actress. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... Bill Nunn (born October 20, 1953) is an African American actor. ... Joseph Maher (December 29, 1933 - July 17, 1998) was a character actor born in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland and educated by the Irish Christian Brothers. ... Born January 26, 1947, Brooklyn, New York American actor on Sopranos and many many other films, video games, and television shows. ... Guinan, played by Whoopi Goldberg, is a recurring character on Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ...

Production

Screenwriter Paul Rudnick wrote the original script back in 1987 and Bette Midler was supposed to be cast for the role of Deloris. After Midler had left the project, the script underwent several re-writes by screenwriters Carrie Fisher, Eleanor Bergstein, Nancy Meyers, Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr. and Robert Harling. As Rudnick did not consider the final draft of the movie as his own work, the pseudonym 'Joseph Howard' was chosen by him after his own suggestion for the writer's credit ('Screenplay by Goofy') had been rejected. Paul Rudnick is a screenwriter and playwright. ... Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Carrie Frances Fisher (born October 21, 1956) is an American actress, screenwriter and novelist. ... Eleanor Bergstein (b. ... Nancy Jane Meyers (Born December 8, 1949 in Pennsylvania, USA) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. ... This article lacks information on the importance of the subject matter. ... Sir Robert Harling(???- 9th September, 1435) was an early member of the landed gentry, soldier and political strongman. ...

The church in which Whoopi Goldberg takes refuge 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 converted to give the area a ghetto look. St. ... Noe Valley is a neighborhood in the central part of San Francisco, California. ... A ghetto is an area where people from a specific racial or ethnic background live as a group in seclusion, voluntarily or involuntarily. ...

The Reno police station shown is actually the main post office in downtown Reno, with some real patrol cars parked outside for set dressing. The patrol cars were driven by officers working security on the set. The real police station in Reno did not look as much like a police station to the film's director.

The order of nuns depicted in the film is the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of Saint Francis, due to their habit.^[1] A habit is the usual condition or state of a person or thing, either natural or acquired, regarded as something had, possessed, and firmly retained. ...

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was released 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 track list is as follows:

Response

The film was a box office success, grossing $139,605,150 domestically and $92,000,000 worldwide.^[2]

Later in the year of the film's release, Whoopi Goldberg and the film "nuns" performed at a Democratic fundraiser for Bill Clinton. William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ...

DVD release

The Region 1 DVD was released on November 6, 2001. Extras are the film's theatrical trailer and a music video for "Shout" by "Deloris and the Sisters", which contained clips from the film. is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

References

External links

Categories: 1992 films | Touchstone Pictures films | Catholic films | Criminal comedy films | Musical films | American films | Fish out of water films | Religion films | Broadway musicals | American musicals | 2006 musicals The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ...

Contents

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