Whoopi Goldberg stars in “Sister Act,” a hysterical movie about showgirls, nuns, and what happens when they meet up.
Dolores van Cartier (Goldberg) has been singing in a nightclub owned by her boyfriend, who is a gangster, unbeknownst to her. When she goes back to his office after her performance one night, she witnesses a mob hit and runs for her life. She testifies to the police, but her boyfriend is looking for her and she has to go into hiding to save her life. Lt. Souther, the officer in charge of her case, arranges for her to stay in a convent until the time of the trial. Only Mother Superior (Maggie Smith) knows her true identity.
In order to blend in with the other nuns, Dolores puts on a habit and assumes the name Sister Mary Clarence. Mother Superior tells everyone that the new nun is from a more progressive order, in case they have any questions about why she’s acting strangely – and act strangely she does. My favorite is her blessing on the food: “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of no food, I shall fear no hunger.”
Things really get funny when Dolores gets an earful of the convent choir. As a performer, she knows how to use the voice to her best advantage, and she takes that squawking, meek little choir and turns it into something to be proud of. People come from all over to listen, taking the church, which had been struggling financially, to a state of prosperity. The congregation grows by leaps and bounds, and by the end of the film, even the Pope himself has come to hear a performance.
When the gangsters find Dolores, the nuns are surprised to learn that she’s not really a nun, but they leap into action to save her. We find that friends can be found in the oddest places, even for nuns and showgirls.
This film was rated PG for some mild language and peril.
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