History Film / SisterAct

* RetroactiveRecognition: Features Lauryn Hill before The Fugees, at least before their [[Music/TheScore best known album]]. Not to mention Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt before ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Features Lauryn Hill before The Fugees, at least before their [[Music/TheScore best known album]]. Not to mention [[Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt]] before ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Features Lauryn Hill before The Fugees, at least before their [[Music/TheScore best known album]]. Not to mention [[Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt Jennifer
Love Hewitt]] before ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.

* NailsOnABlackboard: In the second film, this is how Deloris gets the students' attention.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Features Lauryn Hill before The Fugees, at least before their [[Music/TheScore best known album]]. Not to mention Jennifer Love Hewitt before ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Features Lauryn Hill before The Fugees, at least before their [[Music/TheScore debut]]. Not to mention Jennifer Love Hewitt before ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Features Lauryn Hill before The Fugees. Not to mention Jennifer Love Hewitt before ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.

* PetTheDog: In the big chase through the casino toward the beginning of the film, Deloris knocks over a busboy but stops to make sure he's okay before continuing to run. [[KickTheDog Joey and Willy don't bother]].

* FantasyForbiddingFather: Distaff example. 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. Rita's mother doesn't realise that colleges are more likely to accept her daughter if she presents things like being in the choir.

* FantasyForbiddingFather: Distaff example. 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. Rita's mother doesn't realise that Colleges are more likely to accept her daughter if she presents things like being in the choir.

* 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.

* TheFaceless: Pope John Paul II's face is never shown, even though he appears from behind (presumably because he's too famous to portray with an actor and they could never get the real Pope to make a cameo in this film).

** The first from the Reverent Mother, after the choir's performance of "Hail Holy Queen".

--> ''Reverend Mother:'' Girl groups?! Boogie woogie on the piano?! What were you thinking?!
--> ''Deloris'' I was thinking more like Vegas, you know? Get some butts in the seats.
--> ''Reverend Mother:'' And what next? Popcorn? Curtain calls? This is not a theater or a casino.
--> ''Deloris:'' Yeah, but that's the problem. See, people like going to theaters, and they like going to casinos, but they don't like coming to church. Why? Because it's a drag. But we could change all that, see? We could pack this joint.
--> ''Reverend Mother:'' Through blasphemy? You have corrupted the entire choir!
--> ''Delores:'' How can you say that? I worked my butt off with these women! They've given up their free time to do this, and they're good! I mean, sister, we could, we could rock this place!
--> ''Reverend Mother:'' Out of the question! As of tomorrow, Mary Lazarus resumes her leadership of the choir.

* WhatTheHellHero: Deloris gets two of them. The first from the Reverent Mother, after the choir's performance of "Hail Holy Queen", as the Reverent Mother found it to be blasphemous. The second was from Lt. Eddie Souther, after the convent get media attention, almost exposing Deloris hiding.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Vince's hitmen Joey and Willy are very reluctant about killing a nun, even if it's someone they know dressed as a nun. Although he's too proud to admit it, clearly even Vince can't bring himself to shoot Deloris while she's in a nun's habit. Just the fact that she may have found God in her time at the convent is enough to make Joey and Willy uncomfortable and they even go along with her when she starts praying.

* PistolWhipping: The nuns knock Curtis' looks out with their own guns.

* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: When Dolores and the nuns sneak to a bar across the street on her first night, they almost run into Curtis' goons.
* CityOfAdventure: Set entirely in Philadelphia, instead of the Witness Protection moving Dolores from Reno to San Francisco like in the movie.
* {{Confessional}}: Mother Superior accidentally confesses to Doloris rather than Monseigneur O'Hara in one.

* PragmaticAdaptation: The "Doloris getting the nuns to improve the neighborhood" and "Mother Superior threatening to quit" subplots are dropped. Doloris is seen on by Curtis on [=TV=] because the nuns singing made the news.

* TitleDrop: Doloris' song, "Sister Act".

* CrowdSong: Movie ends with the whole cast singing “[[Music/MarvinGaye Ain’t No Mountain High Enough]].”

** Mary Clarence returns the favor by calling him “Crispy.”

* AsTheGoodBookSays: Father Ignatius tries to encourage Mary Clarence by quoting from the Bible, “O ye be of strong will.” Mary Lazarus follows up by saying, “And ye better be as tough nails too.”