Emile Ardolino – 1992 – USA
I never saw this movie back in
the day because it was artless, cornball Hollywood tripe that I had no interest
in. I guess the passage of time tends to
let the air clear a little, and for whatever reason I decided to give it a
chance. Regardless of its simple,
feel-good concept, I was mainly interested in its (possibly unintended)
subtexts: 1) the subversive notion of a worldly showgirl going incognito as a
nun, and 2) the supremacy of art (over faith) in moving hearts and minds. The introduction of passion and pop music
sensibilities into a convent’s dismal cycle of hymns has the effect of drawing
in young people right off the streets outside and allowing the cloistered nuns
to open a dialogue with the neighboring community. Of course the film is also a vehicle for
Whoopi Goldberg, and her charisma and fusion of street smarts with genuine
warmth are what really make the film work.
There are many instances where seemingly bland dialogue is given a twist
by Goldberg’s enthusiastic delivery.
It’s also fun to see Harvey Keitel as her gangster boyfriend, in the
same year of his great resurgence in very different roles in Reservoir Dogs and Bad Lieutenant.
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