History Film / SisterAct

* ImGoingToHellForThis: Mary Lazarus believes sneaking ice cream into the convent is an indulgence, however . . .

* NeedleInAStackOfNeedles: DoubleSubverted. Near the end of the film, Deloris 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.

'''Dolores''':...[[PrecisionFStrike Bless you.]]

* ShoutOut: Look close at the back of the church in the final song of the first movie and you'll see the BluesBrothers in a rather familiar stance...

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Vegas? And of course the camera mob during the closing credits...

-->'''Deloris''': Let's get one thing straight...I am not, nor have I ever been, a Las Vegas showgirl. I am a headliner!

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. Deloris 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.

* PrayerOfMalice: Played with during the climax. When the helicopter pilot refuses to fly the nuns to Reno, they pray, out loud and right in front of him in passive-aggressive fashion, that God will be kinder to the helicopter pilot than he was to them. They needle him by committee until he gives in.

* 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]].

!!The second film provide examples of:

A very popular film, arguably Whoopi Goldberg's best role ever, with a cast of beloved character actors and a magnificently long-suffering Maggie Smith as the Mother Superior. The film also drew praise from both Catholics and actual nuns, as the film tends to portray Catholicism in general and nuns in particular as warm, welcoming, and human (as opposed to some of the other [[NunsAreSpooky popular]] [[NaughtyNuns portrayals]]). The biggest draw is probably the music itself, which reinterprets such classics as "My Guy" into a religious format. In 2006, the movie was [[ScreenToStageAdaptation made into a stage musical]], with songs by Creator/AlanMenken.

A very popular film, arguably Whoopi Goldberg's best role ever, with a cast of beloved character actors and a magnificently long-suffering Maggie Smith as the Mother Superior. The film also drew praise from both Catholics and actual nuns, as the film tends to portray Catholicism in general and nuns in particular as warm, welcoming, and human (as opposed to some of the other [[NunsAreSpooky popular]] [[NaughtyNuns portrayals]]). The biggest draw is probably the music itself, which reinterprets such classics as "My Guy" into a religious format. In 2006, the movie was [[ScreenToStageAdaptation made into a stage musical]], with songs by AlanMenken (yes, ''that'' AlanMenken).

!!The first film provide examples of:

* BigEater: The musical version makes clear Sister Mary Patrick is one. The lyrics to "How I Got the Calling" specify she found God's vocation through food, such as seeing "the face of Jesus in a coconut cream pie."

* SettingUpdate: Inverted; the film was set in the then-present, but the musical goes back to 1978, so that Alan Menkin could do disco style songs.

* SocietyMarchesOn: Historically, non-Catholic families have sent their children to Catholic schools in order to ensure that they get a better education than they would in public schools. Today, charter schools have largely filled that niche at no tuition cost.

* SaveOurStudents: The sequel, where Deloris' 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.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Monsignor O'Hara and the Reverand Mother are the only ones in the covenant who know about Deloris's true origins until the end.

-->'''''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.''

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

A very popular film, arguably Whoopi Goldberg's best role ever, with a cast of beloved character actors and a magnificently long-suffering Maggie Smith as the Mother Superior. The biggest draw is probably the music itself, which reinterprets such classics as "My Guy" into a religious format. In 2006, the movie was [[ScreenToStageAdaptation made into a stage musical]], with songs by AlanMenken (yes, ''that'' AlanMenken).

* StuffyBrit: Reverend Mother (it is Maggie Smith, after all). However, this gradually modifies, especially in the sequel.