pensman Of course it is a formula. It was 1993, remember 1993. It's Andy Hardy dates Sister Mary Clarence with James Coburn as a villain. And who cares? This film helps people remember how much fun Whoopi Goldberg could be and there are some wonderful music numbers that will get you moving and feeling good. Then there is possibly the best credit run ever at the film's conclusion. Plus you look at the young cast and think isn't that Jennifer Love Hewitt or Lauryn Hill? Older audiences will recognize Barnard Hughes, Mary Wickes, Michael Jeter, and Dame Maggie Smith the Dowager Countess of Grantham.There is nothing bad about just admitting you were entertained and felt good as the credits roll on. I wish Whoopi had stayed with film and Broadway. To this day I remember her one woman show on Broadway which was later broadcast as an HBO special. What a talented woman. I know it's PC to say "person" or "actor," but I don't care; Whoopi Goldberg is a great entertainer and I can't understand why we can't accept and acknowledge she is a woman. Her performances over the years have made me cry and laugh such that I thought I would burst.Know what, just go to Apple or Amazon, rent the movie. Sit back with some popcorn and prepare to laugh and clap and maybe even dance to the signing. I bet you hit IMDb to see what else Whoopi was in that you missed.

ruth-greenwood I watch this movie every so often to put a big smile on my face. Outwitting It's fun...sometimes slapstick...and the music is terrific...upbeat, with some positive rapping. It makes me so happy. Maggie Smith...Lauryn Hill (her song is so moving)...James Coburn (appropriately villainous)...Sheryl Lee Ralph ... enjoyable performances...family fun.

mark.waltz The sisters are back, and here, they are running a school far away from the quiet San Francisco convent where they first met Dolores Van Cartier (Whoopie Goldberg). Mother Superior Maggie Smith, having lightened up towards "Sister Mary Clarence" in the first entry, sends her old pals Mary Wickes, Kathy Najimy and Wendy Makkena to Vegas to bring Dolores back, to help save her school from scheming property owner James Coburn. Like "The Bells of St. Mary's", they are in danger of loosing the school which may not be accredited, and Goldberg's job is to help them win financial support by getting the unenthusiastic chorus to L.A. for a choral contest. Yes, this is basically a Mickey/Judy movie, "Let's put on a show and crush the goals of some mean adult", only in nun's habits and catholic school uniforms. But while not as well thought out as the original, it remains entertaining and diverting.The edge is gone with the lack of a mob intrusion into the convent's life, but with many Catholic schools going under thanks to lack of funding or decreasing attendance, this was much more realistic. The subplots concerning individual students are many, from the troubled rebel who yearns for her mother's approval but doesn't go about the right way in getting it, to the talented young boy who shows he just needs some guts to bring out his true spirit, and pretty much the entire school's need to understand that these nuns are just as spirited, if more, than they are.What isn't realistic is the fact that just a year after singing for the pope, these nuns aren't recognized by the kids, and that they don't know who Dolores Van Cartier is from her previous newspaper headlines. "Are you really a Vegas showgirl?" one student asks incredulously. "No, I am a headliner", Goldberg says as only she can. The lack of continuity between the two films gives it a definite "sitcom" feel, but unlike most sitcoms, this one rises above mediocrity because it is just so pleasant to sit through, especially when the kids get their act together, take it on the road, and sing to the Lord, not just to win, but to show that they've grown ever since Sister Mary Clarence came into their lives.Like in the two 1960's film where she played a bus driving nun, Mary Wickes gets back in front of the wheel, and also continues the string of funny delivery with lines that with other actors would just draw blank stares. Coburn is appropriately stolid, while such popular character actors as Barnard Hughes and Michael Jeter take on priestly roles with joyous glee. The same group of Broadway supporting players are back as singing nuns, with special mention to Susan Johnson, Beth Fowler and Ruth Kobart, as full voiced on screen as they were on stage. While the original "Sister Act" got its own big Broadway musical, the producers of that show (including Whoopie) were wise to realize that based upon previous experiences of hit musicals attempting sequels to just quit while they were ahead. "Sister Act II" is great as a video entertainment, and to take it any further would be fruitless.

ccthemovieman-1 As with many sequels, this doesn't measure up to the original. In fact, I found this film - as opposed to the first one - very offensive. Of course, my beliefs had changed since first viewing "Sister Act." However, this film definitely irreverent.There are many irreverent remarks made throughout this film made by a number of people who just take the credibility of a real Believer to task. Yeah, the nuns are still "good guys," but don't fool yourself: there's a lot of secular bias in this script. Nobody in here, including all the Catholics, takes Christianity with an seriousness. Hey, if Hollywood takes it as a joke, it wants everyone to do the same. That seems to be the message of this movie.Also, as in many sequels they took a part of something that worked, and then overdid it the second time. In this case, it's Kathy Nijimy's role. She was cute and bubbly in a minor role in the original, got recognized for her performance and now has much bigger part. Unfortunately, they overdid all that giggling to the point where the woman is downright annoying.