History Film / SisterAct

* InsistentTerminology: Deloris is ''not'' a Las Vegas show girl. She is a ''headliner!''

* PreviouslyOn: The events of Sister Act are summed up with a medley at the beginning of the sequel.

!!These films provide examples of:

* ArcWords: In the second movie: "If you want to be somebody, if you want to go somewhere, you better wake up and pay attention."

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Father Thomas in the second film.
* EducationMama: [[spoiler: Initially,]] Rita's mom does not bless her choir participation. It's made quite clear, albeit obliquely, that the reason she disapproves of her daughter's desire to sing and instead tries to force her to focus only on education is not a general "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "you have to have better opportunities and do better than I did" mentality, but because her husband tried the same path, failed utterly, and left the family destitute. So it isn't that she disparages Rita's dream, but that she finds it [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids impractical]] and [[ThisIsReality unrealistic]] and is afraid pursuing it could cost her, the same as happened to him.

* [[FantasyForbiddingFather Fantasy-Forbidding Mother]]: Rita's mother is determined to squash her dreams of becoming a singer. She won't even allow her to join the school choir as an extra curricular because she thinks she should be spending all her time studying to get into a good college.
** Notable for having a particularly weak and vague motivation, where all we get is that it has something to do with Rita's father. [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick "You're not in there believing in yourself, are you?"]] Although see above: while vague, it isn't hard to read between the lines and guess that Rita's father tried pursuing his musical dreams, failed, and it cost him and Mrs. Watson enough to make her fear her daughter following the same path and failing too. So, less "don't believe in yourself" as "believing in yourself isn't enough in the real world".

* FullNameUltimatum: ''Rita Louise Watson!''
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: After the rap segment in "Joyful Joyful", we see one of the boys run like a bunny to get back into his position in the choir.

* HeyLetsPutOnAShow: While the choir competition in the sequel isn't created or put on by Deloris and the other nuns, it otherwise fulfills this trope, seeing as it a) gives the students confidence in themselves b) proves the school is and can be successful again and c) convinces the archdiocese [[SavingTheOrphanage not to close it]].

* InnerCitySchool: The main setting of the second movie, only with few Hispanic kids.

* AMinorKidroduction: The first film opens with Deloris (about age nine) getting into trouble at a Catholic school for naming The Apostles as [[Music/TheBeatles John, Paul, George, and Ringo]].
* NailsOnABlackboard: In the second film, this is how Deloris gets the students' attention.

* NunsAreFunny: Some are.

'''Dolores''':...[[PrecisionFStrike Bless you.]]
* PassingTheTorch: In the first movie, Deloris gets to know the sweet, ShrinkingViolet novice Mary Robert, helping her to find her voice (literally) and become confident in herself. In the sequel, Mary Robert performs something of the same role (and even lampshades it to Deloris) for Rita.

* PreviouslyOn: The events of Sister Act are summed up with a medley at the beginning of the sequel.
* SaveOurStudents: The sequel, where Whoopi's nun friends ask her to help turn around the choir of the Catholic school she attended as a child. Also overlaps with SavingTheOrphanage, since thanks to the greedy superintendent, if Deloris can't turn the problem class around, the archdiocese is going to close the whole school and have it torn down to make, yes, a parking lot.
* ScreamDiscretionShot: Whoopi, upon seeing herself in a habit for the first time. "I look like a penguin!"
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Deloris upon hearing about the vow of chastity. She's dragged back by Mother Superior.

* TookALevelInKindness: Deloris' character arc is essentially this in the first movie. Exemplified best when she is running for her life in the beginning she knocks people down and just runs. At the end, she stops to make sure they are all right, despite guns shooting at her.

* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech: The sequel is pretty much one long one of these. (Incidentally, they ''work''.)
* AWildRapperAppears: "Who Got the Flo?" and the rap sequence in "Joyful, Joyful".

In the first '''Sister Act''', Deloris witnesses her [[TheMafia Mafioso]] boyfriend commit a murder. She enters WitnessProtection and is forcibly inducted into an abbey as "Sister Mary Clarence". The only other person at the abbey who knows her true identity is Mother Superior. Deloris has to follow the vows of poverty, obedience, hard work, chastity, and getting up at 5 AM. Eventually, she becomes the leader of the abbey choir, and she decides to [[BlitheSpirit make some improvements by combining spirituals and R&B...]]

* ArsonMurderAndLifeSaving:

** Notable for having a particularly weak and vague motivation, where all we get is that it has something to do with Rita's father.[[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick "You're not in there believing in yourself, are you?"]] Although see above: while vague, it isn't hard to read between the lines and guess that Rita's father tried pursuing his musical dreams, failed, and it cost him and Mrs. Watson enough to make her fear her daughter following the same path and failing too. So, less "don't believe in yourself" as "believing in yourself isn't enough in the real world".

* HollywoodNuns: All over this movie. And subverted in many ways.

* TwoWords : "I got two words for you, Vince." "Mary Clarence!" *Beat* "Bless you."

* GenderBlenderName: All of the nuns are named "Sister Mary X", with X being a male saint's name. The only two exceptions are Reverend Mother, who is [[NoNameGiven called only by her title]], and the nearly-deaf pianist [[OddNameOut Sister Alma]].

-->'''Reverend Mother:''' Girl groups? Boogie woogie on the piano? What were you thinking?
-->'''Sister Mary Clarence:''' I was thinking more like Vegas, you know, get some butts in the seats.

'''Reverend Mother:''' ...and Gomorrah!

-->'''Dolores''': I only have one thing to say to you, Vince.\\

* TookALevelInKindness: Deloris' character arc is essentially this in the first movie. Examplified best when she is running for her life in the beginning she knocks people down and just runs. At the end, she stops to make sure they are all right, despite guns shooting at her.

* TwoWords : "I got two words for you, Vince." "Deloris!" *Beat* "Bless You."

In '''Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit''', Deloris returns to visit her old friends at the convent and finds that the community school they've been teaching at is slowly going under. Delores agrees to return as Sister Mary Clarence and teach the music class to a large group of very disinterested teenagers (led by a young Lauryn Hill). After a series of pranks being pulled on her, she strikes back in her own way and humbles the kids so that she can work with them. She decides to form the kids into a choir, singing the same sort of music from the previous film.

* [[FishOutOfWater Showgirl Out of Water]]: Delores at first in the convent.

* HiddenDepths: The main theme of the movie. Both Delores and the nuns show it.
* IllKillYou: When Lt. Souther sees Delores Van Cartier (AKA: "Sister Mary Clarence") on TV:

* AMinorKidroduction: The first film opens with Delores (about age nine) getting into trouble at a Catholic school for naming The Apostles as [[Music/TheBeatles John, Paul, George, and Ringo]].
* NailsOnABlackboard: In the second film, this is how Delores gets the students' attention.
* NeedleInAStackOfNeedles: DoubleSubverted. Near the end of the film, Delores escapes into a casino, where she sticks out because she's wearing her nun's habit...until a bunch of the other nuns also run into the casino to find her.

* TookALevelInKindness: Delores' character arc is essentially this in the first movie. Examplified best when she is running for her life in the beginning she knocks people down and just runs. At the end, she stops to make sure they are all right, despite guns shooting at her.

* [[VivaLasVegas Viva Reno]]: Where part of the first movie was set. Reverend Mother isn't to impressed.

* EducationMama: [[spoiler: Initially,]] Rita's mom does not bless her choir participation. It's made quite clear, albeit obliquely, that the reason she disapproves of her daughter's desire to sing and instead tries to force her to focus only on education is not a general "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or "you have to have better opportunities and do better than I did" mentality, but because her husband tried the same path, failed utterly, and left the family destitute. So it isn't that she disparages Rita's dream, but that she finds it [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids impractical]] and [[ThisIsReality unrealistic]] and is afraid pursuing it could cost her, the same as happened to her.

* ArcWords: In the second movie: If you want to be somebody, "if you want to go somewhere, you better wake up and pay attention."

* ArcWords: In the second movie: "If you want to go somewhere, if you want to be somebody, you better wake up and pay attention."

* [[FishOutOfWater Showgirl Out of Water]]

-->'''Choleric:''' [[SassyBlackWoman Deloris/Sister Mary Clarence]]
-->'''Sanguine:''' [[GenkiGirl Sister Mary Patrick]]
-->'''Melancholic:''' [[CoolOldLady Sister Mary Lazarus]]
-->'''Phlegmatic:''' [[ShrinkingViolet Sister Mary Robert]]

* HiddenDepths: The main theme of the movie.

* NunsAreFunny

* [[VivaLasVegas Viva Reno]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Vince's hitmen Joey and Willy are very reluctant about killing a nun, which is why they spare Doloris in the end.

* SaveOurStudents: The sequel, where Whoopi's nun friends ask her to help turn around the choir of the Catholic school she attended as a child.

* EducationMama: [[spoiler: Initially,]] Rita's mom does not bless her choir participation.

** Notable for having a particularly weak and vague motivation, where all we get is that it has something to do with Rita's father.[[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick "You're not in there believing in yourself, are you?"]]

'''Sister Mary Robert''': *gasp* Delores!\\

* PerpetualSmiler: Sister Mary Patrick.