Line #63 Film/SisterAct


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SisterAct_9024.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Creator/WhoopiGoldberg as a nun... This is ''absolutely'' going to be awesome.]]
3
4	->'''Reverend Mother:''' Girl groups? Boogie woogie on the piano? What were you thinking?\
5	'''Sister Mary Clarence:''' I was thinking more like Vegas, you know? Get some butts in the seats.
6
7	Two films that star Creator/WhoopiGoldberg as Deloris Van Cartier, a Reno lounge singer who pretends to be a nun (for reasons specific to each movie) and introduces excitement into the formerly-solemn local church music.
8
9	The first ''Sister Act'', directed by Emile Ardolino and released in 1992, Deloris witnesses her [[TheMafia Mafioso]] boyfriend Vince [=LaRocca=] (Creator/HarveyKeitel) 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 the Mother Superior (Creator/MaggieSmith). Deloris has to follow the vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity, and getting up at 5 AM and working hard. Eventually, she becomes the leader of the abbey choir, and she decides to [[BlitheSpirit make some improvements by combining spirituals and R&B]], and the lively new music brings newcomers into the church. However, her newfound visibility does no favors for why she entered the abbey in the first place...
10
11	HilarityEnsues. With a tambourine.
12
13	One of the most popular comedies of TheNineties, and up there with ''Film/Ghost1990'' as one of Whoopi Goldberg's most famous roles, 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 portrays 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 [[Theatre/SisterAct made into a stage musical]], with songs by Music/AlanMenken.
14
15	A sequel followed in 1993, ''Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit'', directed by Creator/BillDuke. Deloris takes her story to Las Vegas and her show becomes a hit. One night, her old friends from the convent pay her a visit, and they tell her that the Catholic school where they've been teaching (which happens to be Deloris' own alma mater) is slowly going under. Deloris agrees to return as Sister Mary Clarence and [[SaveOurStudents teach the music class to a large group of very disinterested teenagers]] (led by a young Music/LaurynHill). 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 and entering a choir competition in hopes to convince the archdiocese that the school is worth funding.
16
17	A third film is currently in the works, with Goldberg returning, set to premiere on Creator/DisneyPlus.
18
19	----
20	!!The first film provides examples of:
21
22	* AngerBornOfWorry: After finding out that Deloris snuck out to a bar and that Mary Patrick and Mary Robert had followed her, the Reverend Mother angry yells at Deloris for being so cavalier about her safety and that of others, as its her responsibility to ensure their well-being and the convent's walls are the only protection she can provide.
23	* AnswerCut: This is how the convent is revealed to be the last place where Vince would look for Deloris.
24	* ArmorPiercingResponse: When Deloris finds out about the convent's strict 9:00pm curfew, she complains to Reverend Mother; the older woman's stern (and very accurate) answer hits Deloris hard, and makes her begin to reach out to the other nuns.
25	-->'''Deloris''': You know, before I came here, I had a career, I had friends--I had clothing that fit. Before I came here, I was okay.\
26	'''Reverend Mother''': Oh, really? From what I've heard, your singing career was almost non-existent, and your married lover ''wants you dead.'' If you're fooling anyone, it is only yourself. God has brought you here. ''Take the hint.''
27	* ArsonMurderAndLifesaving:
28	-->''' Reverend Mother:''' I hold you responsible for all of this. For introducing a lounge act into my convent, for utterly disrupting our lives, and exposing us all to mortal danger.\
29	[[{{Beat}} ...]]thank you.
30	* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The films play fast and loose with various common nun tropes and stereotypes, the most notable being how they use "nun" and "sister" more or less interchangeably. Both are types of women religious, but Catholic nuns live largely cloistered lives of prayer and devotion, whereas Catholic sisters are more about public outreach under "simple" vows and helping their local communities. The first film identifies the specific order Deloris ends up in as being of Carmelite nuns, who wouldn't normally operate in the public social capacity that they do even before Deloris shook things up, nor wear those old-fashioned habits (which appear more in line with other orders like the Sisters of St. Joseph).
31	* AsideGlance: During her hard work montage, Deloris briefly does this after Reverend Mother non-verbally remands her for having too much fun washing a station wagon.
32	* BaitAndSwitch: Deloris leads the choir in a classical (and much improved) rendition of "Hail Holy Queen," before abruptly starting an up-tempo version.
33	* BaitAndSwitchGunshot: [[spoiler: When Vince has Deloris and the nuns cornered, and about to shoot her, Eddie Souther fires a shot hitting Vince in the arm, saving Deloris]].
34	* BecomingTheMask: A variation. While Deloris certainly never takes vows or becomes an "official" nun, she does slowly lose her snarky, self-absorbed attitude as she stays in the convent. By the end of the film, she's become a genuinely kind, compassionate person--much like the other nuns. It's best summarized when, in the final scene, Reverend Mother declares that, for all intents and purposes, Deloris ''is'' Sister Mary Clarence (see EvenEvilHasStandards below).
35	* BetterThanSex: After two of the singing nuns refer to singing as being better than more innocent things such as "springtime" and "ice cream," the "heathen" FishOutOfWater Deloris proclaims that singing is "[[TheTriple better than sex]]," adding that it's [[OrSoIHeard what she has heard]] after a comedic {{Beat}}.
36	* BigBad: Vince, who will do anything to stay out of prison, killing anyone who could rat him out, including Deloris.
37	* BigDamnHeroes: In the climax, [[spoiler: just as Vince is about to shoot Deloris, cue the window shattering to reveal Souther, who's just shot Vince.]]
38	* BigFun: Sister Mary Patrick loves ''everything'', unapologetically. When Deloris asks her if she's always so cheerful:
39	-->'''Sister Mary Patrick:''' Am I? All right, I am, I can't help it. I've always been upbeat, optimistic, perky. My mother always said, 'that girl is pure sunshine. She'll grow up to either be a nun or a stewardess'. Coffee?
40	* BigWhat: Deloris employs at least one, when Lt. Eddie Souther explains he can't spring her from the convent, and also that she can't continue calling him from there.
41	* BlitheSpirit: {{Inverted\|Trope}}. Only one character in the entire movie insists that things should be the way they are, but she is subverted by everyone else.
42	* BothSidesHaveAPoint: How the debate between the Reverend Mother, who represents old-school Christianity and traditional values, and Deloris, who stands for younger, hipper crowds and direct community service, ends up going. Reverend Mother is wrong to keep the sisters cloistered for so long, but her fears about the dangers of the outside world are justified when Deloris is kidnapped; similarly, Deloris is right to try to "update" the church's style, but learns that completely discarding religion for entertainment is disrespectful. They ultimately TakeAThirdOption and combine their ideas, best represented when, during the final concert for the Pope, the nuns open with a traditional choral arrangement of "I Will Follow Him," then break into a gospel-style version for the second part of the song--both are equally beautiful.
43	* BritishStuffiness: Reverend Mother (it's Creator/MaggieSmith, after all). However, this gradually modifies, especially in the sequel.
44	* CallBack: Reverend Mother does not approve of the nuns leaving the convent at night, following Deloris into the bar across the streets, because people don't respect religious figures much in their neighborhood. "These robes no longer protect our sisters. The walls ''do''." Later, Deloris is abducted by Vince's thugs, Willy and Joey. They bring her back to the Moonlight Lounge and Vince orders them to shoot her -- but they refuse, because "We can't waste a ''nun''."
45	* CharacterDevelopment:
46	** Deloris learns how to treat others with more respect and becomes more spiritual and less mouthy.
47	** Reverend Mother learns that while there's nothing wrong with the traditional ways of the Church, it's important to be open to new ideas.
48	** Sister Mary Robert learns how to be more confident and gets over her stage fright. In fact, she's the one who rallies the nuns to save Deloris after she gets kidnapped by Vince's goons.
49	* ChekhovsGun:
50	** The songs "My Guy" and "I Will Follow Him" that were sung by Deloris and her backup singers are used again by the nun's choir but with different lyrics and arrangements.
51	** The voice Mary Robert "always felt" was inside her, waiting to be let out, turns out to be what helps save the day during the kidnapping: Souther would never have known where Deloris had gone if he hadn't heard Mary Robert's voice carrying down the alley, and it's because he chases them that he's able to help her from the street after Deloris pushes her out of the car and find out where Vince's goons were taking her, which in turn allows her to make it back to the convent and rally the others for a rescue.
52	* ChekhovsGunman: Detective Tate, one of the police detectives Deloris meets at the beginning. See TheMole below.
53	* ChekhovsSkill: Deloris's backup singers wonder what will happen to the act without Deloris to "pick all the music and tell us where to stand and everything"; i.e., she is the group's music arranger as well as its lead singer, which comes in handy as the convent's new choir mistress.
54	* ChristianityIsCatholic: Justified. How many people know that Anglicans and Orthodox Christians, among others, have nuns?
55	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Deloris goes to the cops to report Vince murdering his driver, they reveal that he's a mobster with all kinds of criminal endeavors which they've recorded on tape. Deloris's only concern: "...quick question. Am I [[HomePornMovie on any of the video tapes?]]"
56	* CoolOldLady:
57	** Sister Alma may be old and deaf, but she sure can tickle that ivory.
58	** Sister Mary Lazarus is pretty hip too. Despite her insistence upon how ''un''hip she is.
59	** Reverend Mother is more this in the second movie, after having gone through [[DefrostingIceQueen her character development]].
60	* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Had Deloris waited a day to try returning Vince's wife's mink coat, she wouldn't have walked in on him murdering someone, which is what kicked off the plot.
61	* CurseCutShort: Deloris starts to say that the nuns' food taste like "shit"; Reverend Mother stops her by declaring a vow of silence.
62	* DoWrongRight: After calling the other nuns out for having an ice cream party without permission, calling it a sinful indulgence, Mary Lazarus then gets on them for not getting Butter Pecan.
63	* EmergencyTaxi: When Deloris was escaping from Vince's henchmen early in the movie, a cab was there just in time to aid her escape!
64	-->'''Dolores:''' Now just go! Just go! Go! GO! GO!! ''GO!!!''
65	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Vince's henchmen Joey and Willy are very reluctant about killing a nun, even if it's someone they know dressed as a nun. 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. Although he won't admit it, even Vince seems to have difficulty bringing himself to shoot Deloris while she's in a nun's habit, and his brief moment of stalling is just enough for the police to catch up to him.
66	-->''' Reverend Mother:''' I guarantee you she is no broad! She is Sister Mary Clarence of St. Katherine's Convent. She's a model of generosity, virtue, and love! You have my word for it, gentlemen, she is a nun!\
67	'''Willy:''' ''[to Vince]'' Ya hear that? Now, aren't you glad we didn't shoot her?
68	* EveryoneHasStandards: At the beginning of the film, Deloris is carrying on with Vince knowing full well that he's married and is generally a smart-mouthed, unpleasant person. She's almost tempted to return to him when he tries to buy her off with a gorgeous mink coat...but then she finds his wife's initials in it. Even the opportunistic Deloris can't bring herself to do that--"You don't ''earn'' other people's wives' fur coats, OK?"-- and declares that enough is enough. Unfortunately, this sudden pang of conscience makes her witness Vince murdering his chauffeur, and kicks off the plot.
69	* 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). However, his coat of arms is clearly visible in the background hanging from the logia where he sits.
70	* TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily: Played straight with Joey and Willy; averted with Vince.
71	* FieryRedhead: Sister Mary Robert is a total aversion.
72	* FishOutOfWater: Deloris at first in the convent.
73	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Shortly after Deloris goes into hiding, Detective Tate casually asks Souther where he "stashed" her and Souther refuses to tell him. [[spoiler: Tate later turns out to be the "leak" that was giving away witnesses' hiding places, including Deloris' when he found out.]]
74	* FourTemperamentEnsemble:
75	** '''Choleric:''' [[SassyBlackWoman Deloris/Sister Mary Clarence]]
76	** '''Sanguine:''' [[GenkiGirl Sister Mary Patrick]]
77	** '''Melancholic:''' [[CoolOldLady Sister Mary Lazarus]]
78	** '''Phlegmatic:''' [[ShrinkingViolet Sister Mary Robert]]
79	* FurAndLoathing: Vince tries to buy Deloris back by giving her a mink coat; {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in the sense that it's not the fact that it's a fur coat, but the fact that it belongs to Vince's ''wife'' that makes Deloris reject it. Her rage at this and attempts to return it make her an eyewitness to a murder.
80	* GenderBlenderName: [[TruthInTelevision As with many (but not all) nun orders]], 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]].
81	* GodIsLoveSongs: Played with. Romantic songs such as "My Guy" are given new lyrics, focusing on religion rather than romance.
82	* GospelChoirsAreJustBetter: A highlight of the film is Deloris turning her talents to direct the convent's choir. Despite being more at home with Vegas show tunes, she takes to the role with aplomb, transforming them into a hot Gospel choir. Significantly, this represents a turning point for everyone involved.
83	* GroinAttack: Deloris does this to both of Vince's goons after a prayer.
84	* HeroicSacrifice: Deloris herself working to free Sister Mary Robert from Vince's goons. She ends up shoving Mary Robert out of the moving car, choosing to save her (and by extension, the other nuns) rather than escape.
85	* HiddenDepths: The main theme of the movie. Both Deloris and the nuns show it.
86	%%* HollywoodNuns: All over this movie. And subverted in many ways.
87	* HollywoodToneDeaf: The original state of the choir. Downplayed in part because having multiple voices doing it can somewhat hide the fakery but Sister Mary Patrick singing an octave higher than her vocal range (something that Deloris herself [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]]) is a clear example.
88	* IllKillYou: When Lt. Souther sees Deloris Van Cartier (AKA: "Sister Mary Clarence") on TV, he's upset that Deloris is making no real attempt at hiding.
89	-->'''Lt. Souther:''' I'm gonna kill her! I'm gonna kill her myself!
90	* ImGoingToHellForThis: Mary Lazarus believes sneaking ice cream into the convent is an indulgence, however...
91	-->'''Sister Mary Lazarus:''' This is a sin, it's a wicked indulgence. ''[beat]'' Didn't they have any butter pecan?
92	* ILied: Reverend Mother says this after the monsignor reminds her of her "vow of hospitality to all in need." Bonus points for ''that'' being the lie, as she just didn't want to put up with Deloris.
93	* IgnoringBySinging: Used by the BigBad's lawyer when his client is blatantly discussing plans to have Deloris murdered.
94	* KitchenChase: After Deloris witnesses the murder, her getaway takes her through the casino's kitchen. It happens again during the climax, when she runs away from Joey and Willy (after a GroinAttack delivered during prayer), but rather than merely shoving her way through, knocking workers down, and causing all manner of messes, [[CharacterDevelopment this time she is more careful]] and stops to make (brief) apologies whenever she can't avoid running into someone.
95	* LastSecondWordSwap: ''Bless you.''
96	* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Monsignor O'Hara and the Reverend Mother are the only ones in the convent who know about "Mary Clarence's" true origins until Deloris gets snatched by the mob.
97	* LostInACrowd: 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.
98	* TheMafia: Vince's Reno organization.
99	* MagicalNegro: Deloris, especially as the TokenBlack of the convent in the first film. This could be seen as an inverted MightyWhitey trope, since Deloris is the protagonist (unlike most MagicalNegro characters), and she takes over the choir by proving she is better at it than any other nuns.
100	* AMinorKidroduction: The 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]].
101	* MissedHimByThatMuch: When the convent's good deeds and efforts to clean up their neighborhood make the news, Vince's wife Connie is seen watching the story. She calls to her husband (who has his back turned while practicing billiards) to come see the "cute little nuns"; had Vince turned around a few moments earlier, he would have spotted Deloris.
102	* TheMole: [[spoiler: Detective Tate]], a corrupt policeman informs Vince about where Deloris is hiding.
103	* MonochromeCasting: The lack of Hispanic characters in both films, considering it is a Catholic environment in a Californian city, is pretty striking. The first film also lacks leading Black characters, besides Deloris herself and Lt. Souther.
104	* MyNaymeIs: Deloris van Cartier, according to the subtitles. While the surname was chosen, it seems that her given name was spelled that way even as a child.
105	* NearVillainVictory: Although Vince has difficulty deciding whether to kill Deloris in a nun's habit, he ultimately decides to do so anyway, aiming the gun point-blank at her as he does. He probably would have succeeded had [[spoiler: the police not intervened at that exact moment]].
106	* NeedleInAStackOfNeedles: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by the nuns during their rescue mission to Reno. They flood the casino in full habit, find Deloris, and then split up, knowing that since they're all wearing identical outfits, Vince and his goons won't be able to tell them apart.
107	* NoodleIncident: Whatever the deal was with "Buckwheat Bertha"...
108	* OneSteveLimit: [[InvertedTrope Inverted.]] Each nun takes the name "Mary X," with "X" as a saint's name, usually male. Sister Mary Alma is the only exception. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that this is a common practice for ordered nuns.
109	* ParentheticalSwearing: When Vince is being taken away by the cops.
110	-->'''Deloris:''' I got two words for you, Vince.\
111	'''Sister Mary Robert:''' ''[gasps]'' Mary Clarence!\
112	'''Deloris:''' ...[[PrecisionFStrike Bless you.]]
113	* PerpetualSmiler: Sister Mary Patrick. And it's ''genuine.''
114	* 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]].
115	* PrayerOfMalice:
116	** 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 him in his own hour of need than he was to them in theirs. They needle him by committee until he changes his mind.
117	** Also played with in a very similar way with Deloris and Vince's goons. When they untie her to take off her nun's costume (as they "can't waste a nun"), she immediately falls to the floor and begins praying, begging God to forgive them for having to do Vince's dirty work. The men actually go along with it and cross themselves...and that's when Deloris uses her kneeling positions to [[GroinAttack whack them in their crotches]] and run off.
118	* PunBasedTitle: The term "sister act" originally comes from vaudeville, referring to a performance by a group of biological sisters. Here, it's used to refer to nuns.
119	* ReactionShot: The scene in which the choir represents its new and improved self is full of these.
120	* RecurringExtra: The four street girls who are first taking an interest in the church choir's new style are seen a few times. In the final sequence where the Pope comes to see the choir, the girls are well-dressed, rather than wearing their street clothes that they wore in their other church attendances.
121	* SassyBlackWoman: Deloris, largely due to Whoopi Goldberg playing the part. (The producers originally didn't envision Deloris even being black; their first choice for the role was Music/BetteMidler.)
122	* ScreamDiscretionShot: Deloris, upon seeing herself in a habit for the first time. "I look like a penguin!"
123	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Deloris' reaction upon hearing about the vow of chastity she's expected to follow while doing her time disguised as a nun. She's dragged back by Mother Superior.
124	* ShoutOut: Look close at the back of the church in the final song of the first movie and you'll see Film/TheBluesBrothers in a rather familiar stance....
125	* ShrinkingViolet: Sister Mary Robert.
126	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: Pretty high on the idealistic end, as Diana Ross cover songs are all that's needed to turn a slum into a vibrant street corner. The Reverend Mother expresses cynicism that her nuns can handle the harsh realities of the street, but that's because she's the in-universe [[StopHavingFunGuys "Stop Having Fun" Nun]] and her lesson is about how you can't shelter yourself away from the real world.
127	* SomethingSomethingLeonardBernstein: A variation occurs when Deloris is invited to lead the convent in a blessing at her first dinner with them. Since she went to a Catholic school, she has some vague memories of various prayers and psalms, and ends up mixing them together, along with a priest's declaration in a wedding ceremony and the Pledge of Allegiance, of all things:
128	-->'''Deloris/Mary Clarence''': Bless us, O Lord, for these thy gifts, which we are about to receive...
129	-->''({{Beat}} as she realizes she forgets how this prayer ends)''
130	-->'''Deloris/Mary Clarence''': ...and...yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of...no food...I will fear...no hunger. We want you to give us this day our daily bread, and...to the republic for which it stands...by the power invested in me, I pronounce us ready to eat. Amen.
131	* SoundOnlyDeath: Ernie's execution. We cut to Deloris just before the gun goes off.
132	* [[StraightMan Straight Woman]]: Mother Superior is this to a tee, with some [[DeadpanSnarker snark]] to boot.
133	--> '''Sister Mary Patrick:''' And what a lovely name, Reno!\
134	'''Reverend Mother:''' ...and [[SoiledCityOnAHill Gomorrah]]!
135	* TakeAThirdOption: Regarding singing the traditional way as Reverend Mother wanted or the new popular way brought by Deloris in the Pope visit. In the end, they ended up singing the first verse traditionally and then transitioning to the newer way.
136	* TokenWhite: Among the four street girls who are shown taking an interest in the church's choir, three are black girls, only one is white.
137	* TookALevelInKindness: Deloris' character arc is essentially this. Exemplified best when she is running for her life at both [[BookEnds the beginning and end of the film]]. During her first escape, she knocks people down and just runs. At the end, she stops to make sure they are all right, despite guns shooting at her.
138	* TwoWordsAddedEmphasis:
139	--> '''Deloris''': I got two words for you, Vince.
140	--> '''Reverend Mother''': Mary Clarence!
141	--> '''Deloris''': (''after a {{Beat}}'') Bless you.
142	* VillainousBreakdown: Vince [[NeverMyFault blames Deloris for everything]] as he is being arrested:
143	-->"I was good to you! We had a great thing! You sang in a hotel -- badly! How can you betray me like this?! YOU ARE NOTHING!!"
144	* VivaLasVegas: The beginning and end of the first movie are set in Reno, which is close enough. Reverend Mother isn't too impressed.
145	--> '''Sister Mary Patrick:''' And what a lovely name, Reno!\
146	'''Reverend Mother:''' ...and [[SoiledCityOnAHill Gomorrah]]!
147	* VowOfCelibacy: Deloris is not pleased when she is informed of the requirements of being a nun by the mother superior.
148	* WhatTheHellHero: Deloris gets two of them.
149	** The first from the Reverend Mother, after the choir's performance of "Hail Holy Queen".
150	--> '''Reverend Mother:''' Girl groups?! Boogie woogie on the piano?! What were you thinking?!
151	--> '''Deloris''' I was thinking more like Vegas, you know? Get some butts in the seats.
152	--> '''Reverend Mother:''' And what next? Popcorn? Curtain calls? This is not a theater or a casino.
153	--> '''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.
154	--> '''Reverend Mother:''' Through blasphemy? You have corrupted the entire choir!
155	--> '''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!
156	--> '''Reverend Mother:''' Out of the question! As of tomorrow, Mary Lazarus resumes her leadership of the choir.
157	** The second was from Lt. Eddie Souther, after the convent get media attention, almost exposing Deloris hiding.
158	--> ''(Lt. Souther sees the convent and Deloris, attempting to hide her face on the news)''
159	--> '''Lt. Souther:''' I'll kill her. I'll kill her myself!
160	--> ''(Lt. Souther shows up at the next mass)''
161	--> '''Deloris:''' What are you doing here?
162	--> '''Lt. Souther:''' How come I saw you on TV?
163	--> '''Deloris:''' That was not my fault. These people just showed up. But it's been really good for the convent.
164	--> '''Lt. Souther:''' You're supposed to be hiding out. Remember? Bullets flying through the air at you. Ring a bell?
165	--> '''Deloris:''' Yes. But I can't talk about it now because I have a show in five minutes.
166	--> '''Lt. Souther:''' Listen to yourself. This is not a career opportunity.
167	--> '''Deloris:''' You don't have to tell me that. This would not be the place to begin a career.
168	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Early in the film, Deloris and Vince get into a fight, and he tries to buy forgiveness with a luxurious (and clearly extremely expensive) mink coat. Deloris loves it, but discovers Vince's wife's initials on the pocket and realizes that he stole the coat from her. She could easily keep the furs--and her fellow singers even encourage her to do so, saying she's "earned it" for putting up with Vince for so long. But Deloris refuses: "I don't ''deserve'' it. I haven't ''earned'' it. You don't ''earn'' other people's wives' mink coats, OK?" It also prevents her from becoming an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist, as we know that she has a degree of morality even when she's snarking.
169	* WitlessProtectionProgram: Justified, the main character under witness protection is found by the mob thanks to a [[TheMole mole]] working inside of police headquarters. The police know (or at least suspect) the leak exists, but it takes some time for them to find and plug it. Unfortunately, the mole finds the protagonist and reports her to the mob ''just'' before he gets caught. Also downplayed in that it takes most of the length of the film for the mole to find her in the first place.
170	* WitnessProtection: Deloris enters this in the first movie.
171	* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: Deloris' reaction when Eddie wants her to disguise herself as a nun.
172	--> '''Deloris''': You must be out of your... You know what? I'm gonna go back and work this out with Vince. You're a lunatic! ''(Storms out of the church with Eddie trying to stop her)'' I'm not gonna be in no damn convent with these people! These people don't even have sex!
173
174
175	!!The second film provides examples of:
176	* AccidentalMisnaming[=/=]MaliciousMisnaming:
177	** Mr. Crisp at first has difficulty remembering the “Clarence” in Sister Mary Clarence. Once he learns she is not a real nun, he stops trying to remember her given pseudonym and just calls her “Sister Mary Fake.”
178	** Mary Clarence returns the favor by calling him “Crispy.” As does the Reverend Mother in her last parting shot to him!
179	* ArcWords: "If you want to be somebody, if you want to go somewhere, you better wake up and pay attention."
180	* 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 as nails too.”
181	* BanisterSlide: Mary Clarence does one of these.
182	* BigBad: It is obviously clear that Mr. Crisp doesn't care about the children or school and he wants it closed.
183	* BreakingTheFourthWall:
184	** When Frank-ay and Maria overhear the nuns mentioning that "Sister Mary Clarence" has a past in Vegas, they give the camera synchronized confused looks and say, "Vegas?"
185	** And of course the camera mob during the closing credits....
186	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Mary Clarence sits down on the seat with glue, all the students cry out a whispered “Yes” and respond excitedly when she talks about “fusion.” She thinks the students are saying “Yes” because they agree with her love for Music/TheSupremes. Only later does she realize they are celebrating their successful prank against her.
187	* ComplimentBackfire: Reverend Mother tells Deloris that she is an example of how “a sow’s ear can be turned into a silk purse.” Deloris wouldn’t have phrased it that way.
188	* ContinuityNod:
189	** Sister Mary Clarence's cover is blown when [[spoiler: Mr. Crisp finds a copy of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine with Deloris on the cover]], which appeared during the credits of the first film.
190	** At the end of the cast's performance of "Shout", which is used alongside the closing credits of the first film, Sister Mary Lazarus screeches "now wait a minute!" This is used once again to start the cast's performance of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", which is used alongside the closing credits of the second film.
191	** Deloris' horrified reaction upon first seeing her students, leading her to leave the room and slam the door shut almost as soon as she opens it, ironically echoes the way Reverend Mother in the first film initially reacted to ''her''.
192	* CoolOldLady: Many of the nuns who sing “[[Music/TheTemptations Ball of Confusion]]” at the retirement home definitely count as this.
193	* CrowdSong: The movie ends with the whole cast singing “[[Music/MarvinGaye Ain’t No Mountain High Enough]].”
194	* DemotedToExtra: Outside the finale, the Reverend Mother only appears in five scenes in the movie.
195	* DrivesLikeCrazy: Father Thomas, who somehow was the designated driver even if he doesn't have a license.
196	* 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 died leaving 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 that pursuing it could cost Rita the same as happened to him.
197	* EveryoneHasStandards:
198	** However unruly and eccentric most of the other students are in their own ways, many of them still find Jamal's Afro-pride speeches OTT and ridiculous. Also, as troublesome as Rita is, she does help stop a fight between Jamal and Frankie by pushing the former down onto his seat.
199	** When Rita rebels against Mary Clarence's "new way", i.e. that they will actually have genuine lessons, no one else in the hitherto unruly class joins her.
200	* FailedASpotCheck: The friars apparently never met or heard of Deloris van Cartier, despite being in the same city as the convent she previously stayed in and working with the same nuns as she did. Were there no conversations about Deloris before the nuns decided to recruit her? The Pope personally requested a concert from Deloris' choir while he was in San Francisco! Given that, Mr. Crisp should have heard of her as well.
201	* FantasyForbiddingFather: 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. Nevermind that it's a constructive hobby that keeps Rita from running the streets, or that colleges look favorably on students with extracurriculars on their records.
202	* FiveFiveFive: Shows up when Rita is filling out her permission slip.
203	* FullNameUltimatum: ''Rita Louise Watson!''
204	* 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.
205	* GenreShift: The first movie is a WitnessProtection comedy, while the sequel is a SaveOurStudents dramedy.
206	* HenpeckedHusband: A non-spouse example, the priests are all practically under Mr. Crisp's foot.
207	* 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 [[SaveOurStudents not to close it]].
208	* HiddenDepths: The seemingly useless and indifferent Rita has a deeply spiritual side and a beautiful singing voice.
209	* ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder: Father Thomas once tells Deloris that he has a message for her despite working for the Catholic Church, not for [=FedEx=].
210	* IncrediblyLongNote: Ahmal at the end of “Oh Happy Day”
211	-->'''Ahmal''': “When Jesus '''''waaaaaaaaaaashed''''' my sins away!”
212	* InnerCitySchool: The main setting of the second movie, with mostly African-American students and a [[TokenMinority few Hispanic and white kids]].
213	* InsistentTerminology: At the end of the film, the kids find out that she worked in Vegas, and they ask her about whether she was a Vegas showgirl.
214	-->'''Deloris:''' Let's get one thing straight... I am not, nor have I ever been, a Las Vegas showgirl. I am a headliner!
215	* MalcolmXerox: Wesley, or as he prefers to be called, “Ahmal M’jomo Jamaael," which means "He who is spirited.”
216	* NailsOnABlackboard: This is how Deloris gets the students' attention.
217	* NoodleIncident: Apparently, the Reverend Mother and Father Maurice caused Bishop O'Malley a lot of problems.
218	* PassingTheTorch: In the first film, 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.
219	* PopCulturalOsmosisFailure:
220	** Tyler has never heard of Music/TheSupremes, but he does at least know who Diana Ross is. Justified that he's just a teenager unfamiliar with 1960s girl groups.
221	** Maria somehow made it through pre-school and elementary school without learning “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
222	* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy: Frank-ay (ayy-oh-ayy) is actually a pretty good rapper.
223	* PreviouslyOn: The events of ''Sister Act'' are summed up with a medley at the beginning of the sequel.
224	* SaveOurStudents: 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.
225	* SoProudOfYou: Rita's mother says this to her at the end of the movie.
226	* SpontaneousChoreography: Technically averted, since some of the students are briefly shown practicing the dance moves when they first arrive at the competition. Still, it’s hard to imagine how they would’ve done all those moves in the choir robes.
227	* TeasingTheSubstituteTeacher: Deloris is technically a ''new'' teacher rather than a substitute, but the dynamic with her students for the first few classes is the same. She has zero control of them and they have zero respect for her; they brazenly tell her that her class is a "bird course" they expect to pass with no effort, and ultimately humiliate her by spreading superglue on her desk chair. It's only when she lays down the law that they show her some begrudging respect, and not until their first concert that they begin to have genuine affection for her.
228	* TravelingAtTheSpeedOfPlot: Rita's mother doesn't know that Rita has gone to the competition until she gets home, several hours after the class has left, and yet she's still able to make the 376-mile trip to Hollywood in time for the competition, conveniently arriving and taking her seat just seconds before her daughter begins singing on stage.
229	* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The movie was inspired by the life a choir teacher called Iris Stevenson who caught the school board in order to stop layoffs.
230	* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech: The sequel is pretty much one long one of these. (Incidentally, they ''work''.)
231	* AWildRapperAppears: "Who Got the Flo?" and the rap sequence in "Joyful, Joyful".
232	* YourMom: When Deloris first meets the students, they are trading a series of these jokes.
233
234	!!The stage musical provides examples of:
235
236
237	* AdaptationalLocationChange: The musical is set entirely in Philadelphia, instead of the Witness Protection moving Deloris from Reno to San Francisco like in the movie.
238	* AdaptationExpansion: The musical necessarily does this with more characters getting their own musical numbers, including Mother Superior, Curtis, Lt. Souther, and even Curtis' henchmen.
239	* AdaptationNameChange:
240	** Deloris' real name is Doris Wilson with Deloris Van Cartier being a stage name.
241	** The musical changes the name of Vince [=LaRocca=] to Curtis. In the original West End production he was Curtis Shank; in the Broadway version, he was Curtis Jackson.
242	* AdaptationPersonalityChange: The Mother Superior is even more of a DeadpanSnarker in the musical.
243	* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the musical, Delores and Lt. Eddie Souther went to high school together, where she called him "Sweaty Eddie." During the story it's also more heavily implied that they're developing romantic feelings for each other.
244	* AmbiguouslyGay: The two antique-dealing bachelors who want to buy the convent.
245	* 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."
246	* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: When Deloris and the nuns sneak to a bar across the street on her first night, they almost run into Curtis' goons.
247	* {{Confessional}}: Mother Superior accidentally confesses to Deloris rather than Monseigneur O'Hara in one.
248	* ConscienceMakesYouGoBack: Deloris goes to stay with Eddie after Curtis finds out she was in the convent but then goes back to the nuns because they need her to help them perform for the pope.
249	* DisappearedDad: Deloris' father left when she was a child.
250	* DisguisedInDrag: Curtis' goons sneak into the convent while dressed as nuns.
251	* DoNotCallMePaul: Deloris hates Eddie calling her Doris.
252	* DoomMagnet: Sister Mary Lazarus joined the sisterhood for protection after her family started dying off in accidents, culminating in her hometown being hit by a tornado.
253	* DoorstopBaby: Sister Mary Robert was left in the convent as a baby.
254	* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: Deloris and Lt. Eddie Souther were in the same class.
255	* IWantSong: "The Life I Never Led" is Sister Mary Robert singing about things she can't do because she's a nun.
256	* ItKindOfLooksLikeAFace: In "How I Got The Calling", Sister Mary Patrick said she became a nun after seeing Jesus, Mary and various saints' faces in food.
257	* MusicalWorldHypothesis: People now randomly burst into song as well as having realistic rehearsals and performances.
258	* {{Nepotism}}: Curtis' idiot nephew, [=TJ=] works for him.
259	* PistolWhipping: The nuns knock Curtis' mooks out with their own guns.
260	* PragmaticAdaptation: The "Deloris getting the nuns to improve the neighborhood" and "Mother Superior threatening to quit" subplots are dropped. Deloris is seen by Curtis on [=TV=] because the nuns singing made the news.
261	* PromotedToLoveInterest: Eddie to Deloris.
262	* QuirkyMiniBossSquad: Curtis' goons, Joey, [=TJ=] and Pablo.
263	* RaceLift: Vince/Curtis is now black and Lt. Souther is white.
264	* RemakeCameo: Whoopi Goldberg has played the Reverend Mother in this a few times.
265	* SettingUpdate: Inverted; the film was set in the then-present, but the musical goes back to 1978, so that Alan Menken could do disco style songs. The physical setting also changes, with the story being transplanted from San Francisco to Philadelphia.
266	* SummonEverymanHero: The play starts with Mother Superior praying to God to save the convent. We then get a GilliganCut to Deloris performing on stage in a nightclub.
267	* TechnicianPerformerTeamUp: The Mother Superior of the convent is the Technician, as she is old-fashioned and believes in discipline and order in all things, including the choir and its song choices. Deloris, who's in witness protection as "Sister Mary Clarence," is the Performer--as a Vegas lounge singer, she knows how to wow a crowd and use choreography and staging in addition to rollicking music. Though they initially butt heads, they eventually [[IntergenerationalFriendship grow to respect each other]]; their healed relationship is demonstrated by the concert at the end of the film, which has the nuns sing "I Will Follow Him" in both Mother Superior and Deloris's styles (it begins as a traditional madrigal then transitions to a gospel performance).
268	* TitleDrop: Deloris' song, "Sister Act".
269	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Philly cheese steaks for Deloris.
270	* VillainSong: "When I Find My Baby" is Curtis singing about how he's going to find and kill Deloris.

Context Film / SisterAct