When lively lounge singer Deloris sees her mobster beau commit murder, she is relocated for her protection. Set up in the guise of a nun in a California convent, she proceeds to upend the quiet lives of the resident sisters.
Acting
Whoopi Goldberg's perfect comedic timing and Maggie Smith's withering glares
Score
Gospel arrangements that slap harder than they have any right to
Costume
The gradual habit glow-up from drab to disco-ready
Director
Emile Ardolino
Whoopi Goldberg
Deloris Van Cartier / Sister Mary Clarence
Maggie Smith
Mother Superior
Kathy Najimy
Sister Mary Patrick
Wendy Makkena
Sister Mary Robert
Mary Wickes
Sister Mary Lazarus
Harvey Keitel
Vince LaRocca
Bill Nunn
Lt. Eddie Souther
Robert Miranda
Joey
Richard Portnow
Willy
Ellen Albertini Dow
Choir Nun
Carmen Zapata
Choir Nun
Pat Crawford Brown
Choir Nun
Ruth Kobart
Choir Nun
Susan Browning
Choir Nun
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bette Midler originally passed on Deloris because she didn't want to play a nun; the role was rewritten specifically for Whoopi Goldberg's comedic style.
The film's soundtrack went platinum and sparked a genuine renewed interest in gospel music among mainstream audiences—church choirs everywhere suddenly had permission to get funky.
US
