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Popcorn Reviews
With Cybčle: Sister Act
By Cybčle Elaine Werts
CybeleW@aol.com
First published in the Shelburne
News, Shelburne Vermont
Popcorn Kernel Rating (four possible): 2.75
Kernels for rollicking music, good laughs and a touch of spirit.
There are some old movies that keep their
punch and some that don’t. Sister Act, directed by Emile
Ardolino in 1992 is, if not a movie classic, at least one which
will still keep you in stitches. Deloris (Whoopi Goldberg) is a
lounge singer in Reno, having an affair with her married manager
Vince (Harvey Keitel) and generally making a mess of things.
Although she gets to sing her heart out, wear yards gold lame
clothing, and parade around in purple mink coats, life is still
not so hot. When she witnesses Vince having their limo driver
killed, she splits to a convent to hide out until she can
testify at the trial. Although she struggles with the convent
constraints at first, she soon finds her metier and has the
choir rollicking up the stage with Godly renditions of "My
Guy" (or in this case "My God."). Attendance at
the convent church is up and things look good. This being a
comedy, things eventually work out with the bad guys in no small
thanks to the passel of nuns bushwacking their way through Reno’s
Moonlight Lounge to rescue Deloris.
So the question is, what is the spiritual
message of this film? Is there one? The movie is enjoyable but
despite the presence of a lot of religious symbols there is no
overt discussion of spiritual ideas. Still, the messages are
clear. In the film, Deloris converts a convent from a focus on
hiding from the world to one that reaches out to the community
just steps outside the stone walls. The message is that religion
is a living thing, and the way to live out God’s will is
through action – singing, love, and service. Deloris also
finds her own life transformed by the friendship and work that
her stay at the convent provides. She finds her center and
succeeds both for the convent and in her own career. The second
message is that magic can happen, and that God sends us people
and places to teach us what we need to know. We need only to
open ourselves up to those lessons.
Fortunately these lessons come to us in the
guise of some pretty charming comedy on Whoopi’s part, and
some lively singing on the part of the nuns. A solid rental.
Suggested Gustatory Accompaniment: Communion
Wine
Copyright 2000
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