The music-filled 1992 comedy hit Sister Act was a positive surprise both financially and quality-wise but that does not mean the inevitable sequel would be any good, of course. Directed by Bill Duke, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit tries to introduce a few new elements into the familiar premise, some of them successful, others not.
Some time after the events of the first movie, Deloris Van Cartier (still played by Whoopi Goldberg) has returned to lounge singing and headlines a popular show in Las Vegas. When her old friends from the nun convent pay her a visit and ask her to help them with their work at a financially struggling high school, she cannot let them down and agrees to become the school's new music teacher. The students are unruly, the administrator Mr. Crisp (James Coburn) is uptight and the school is under risk of being closed down but luckily Deloris (a.k.a. Sister Mary Clarence) knows that the power of music is never to be underestimated.
The movie starts energetically with one of Deloris' Vegas performances that catchily recounts the events of the previous movie. It is also pleasant to see that Wendy Makkena, Kathy Najimy and Maggie Smith return in the roles of Deloris' fellow nuns and that this time there are also monks present among the school's staff. Contrary to the first movie that dealt more with the other nuns, this time the comedy is for the most part based on Deloris' interaction with her new rebellious students who prefer freestyle rapping to gospel choirs. I wonder if rap music had more of a novelty value in mainstream entertainment in 1993 than it does in 2011 because seeing it now, I was left hoping for more actual songs instead of brief sessions of verbal rhyme battles and tough talking.
During the latter half the music finally gets going and we hear fun songs like the funky "Get Up Offa That Thing / Dancing in the Street" and the final choir performances ("Joyful, Joyful") near the end. The end credit version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" performed by various cast members all together belongs among the most entertaining moments of the film as well. However, the movie is not really a musical and should also be judged by merits other than the soundtrack. On this front it is not very successful, in my opinion. The plot is extremely predictable, the noisy kids are annoying and the funniest characters (like the eccentric monks) are not paid enough attention. Fans of Lauryn Hill will surely be interested in her breakthrough performance as a young discouraged singer Rita Watson but I was not too big a fan of the ballads she sings here. More cheery songs like the first movie's "Shout" are what Sister Act 2 would have needed.
Setting the plot in a school makes sure the story does not repeat the first movie's ideas too obviously but I wish they had used the different environment for something less predictable than just another tale of a new teacher cleaning up a rundown school by inspiring troubled kids to believe in themselves. I guess that if you absolutely loved the first movie, there is no reason why you would not like the sequel too (at least moderately) but generally speaking, I do not think Sister Act 2 is very good film. It seriously lacks the will to deviate from the tried and true patterns of comedy conventions and failed to make me laugh or even smile, unlike the original film that featured better songs and antagonists. You might as well save your time and watch the music clips on YouTube or something; the rest is pretty skippable.
Some time after the events of the first movie, Deloris Van Cartier (still played by Whoopi Goldberg) has returned to lounge singing and headlines a popular show in Las Vegas. When her old friends from the nun convent pay her a visit and ask her to help them with their work at a financially struggling high school, she cannot let them down and agrees to become the school's new music teacher. The students are unruly, the administrator Mr. Crisp (James Coburn) is uptight and the school is under risk of being closed down but luckily Deloris (a.k.a. Sister Mary Clarence) knows that the power of music is never to be underestimated.
The movie starts energetically with one of Deloris' Vegas performances that catchily recounts the events of the previous movie. It is also pleasant to see that Wendy Makkena, Kathy Najimy and Maggie Smith return in the roles of Deloris' fellow nuns and that this time there are also monks present among the school's staff. Contrary to the first movie that dealt more with the other nuns, this time the comedy is for the most part based on Deloris' interaction with her new rebellious students who prefer freestyle rapping to gospel choirs. I wonder if rap music had more of a novelty value in mainstream entertainment in 1993 than it does in 2011 because seeing it now, I was left hoping for more actual songs instead of brief sessions of verbal rhyme battles and tough talking.
During the latter half the music finally gets going and we hear fun songs like the funky "Get Up Offa That Thing / Dancing in the Street" and the final choir performances ("Joyful, Joyful") near the end. The end credit version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" performed by various cast members all together belongs among the most entertaining moments of the film as well. However, the movie is not really a musical and should also be judged by merits other than the soundtrack. On this front it is not very successful, in my opinion. The plot is extremely predictable, the noisy kids are annoying and the funniest characters (like the eccentric monks) are not paid enough attention. Fans of Lauryn Hill will surely be interested in her breakthrough performance as a young discouraged singer Rita Watson but I was not too big a fan of the ballads she sings here. More cheery songs like the first movie's "Shout" are what Sister Act 2 would have needed.
Setting the plot in a school makes sure the story does not repeat the first movie's ideas too obviously but I wish they had used the different environment for something less predictable than just another tale of a new teacher cleaning up a rundown school by inspiring troubled kids to believe in themselves. I guess that if you absolutely loved the first movie, there is no reason why you would not like the sequel too (at least moderately) but generally speaking, I do not think Sister Act 2 is very good film. It seriously lacks the will to deviate from the tried and true patterns of comedy conventions and failed to make me laugh or even smile, unlike the original film that featured better songs and antagonists. You might as well save your time and watch the music clips on YouTube or something; the rest is pretty skippable.