6) Sister Act (1992)
Sister Act may seem like an unusual choice for a list that includes heavy-weights such as The Theory of Everything and American Sniper, but it is here for one very simple reason, and this is that you just can’t beat a good song and dance ending. Obviously, Disney movies and musicals have the monopoly on these, and most (repeat – most: Let’s just file 2014’s Annie under ‘never mind’ and move on) are suitably heart-warming, or epic, or inspiring, as all good musically driven stories should be. But Sister Act is slightly different in that the songs themselves aren’t integral to moving the actual narrative along – they are just a part of the story overall.
As such, Sister Act is actually quite a rare case. The second movie used a similar formula, and was briefly considered for inclusion here rather than the original. The ending of Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit is undeniably catchy, and possibly more memorable for being on a larger scale. But ultimately it is just too predictable.
Also, there are some serious questions to be asked about that final performance scene. Why did we see the choir rehearsing completely different material in preparation for the competition? If Rita’s mother had prevented her from attending the choir’s rehearsals, then how on earth did she know the entire performance – including the dance routine – from one end to the other the moment she shows up? Delores tells the choir to take off their robes and go on stage in their own clothes so that they can be more comfortable, but thank goodness she did because quite how they envisaged they were going to manage four minutes of street dancing in floor length choir robes is anyone’s guess. The list goes on.
Also, the first film didn’t have to recourse to a ‘triumph in the face of adversity’ style ending on which so many films in the comedy/drama genre depend. The choir’s last performance in Sister Act is simply a direct summary of what the whole film has been about.
Fresh from an exciting chase around a Reno casino by some hapless mobsters, and following their discovery that Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg at her finest) is actually Delores van Cartier, a low-time diva lounge singer from Nevada, the nuns go back to St. Katherine’s to resume their regular lives. Delores no longer has to live under witness protection, and will be leaving the nunnery. But before she goes, there is the performance before the Pope for which the choir have been working so hard – and which the Reverend Mother (a superbly uptight Maggie Smith) has been insistent must be performed as a suitable, traditional hymn and not in the rock and roll style introduced by Sister Mary Clarence that has so shattered the Reverend Mother’s nerves and given the choir such unexpected and inappropriate fame. The last scene consists of this performance – in front of not only the Pope, but an entirely refurbished and rammed-to-the-rafters St. Katherine’s Church.
Standing in front of the choir is Delores, her habit now replaced by her own show-styled hair, and she leads the choir in a dignified and emotionally touching rendition of I Will Follow Him, their faces radiant, and their serene voices harmonizing perfectly right through to the last, symphonic chord. Then Alma breaks into a suddenly punchy intro on the piano, and the choir kick in with the rocking Sister Mary Clarence version, which is complete with a customary key change and a solo from Delores.
As the number comes to a storming close, the choir receive a tumultuous standing ovation from the crowd, the Pope – and the Reverend Mother.
The musical arrangement in this finale is outstanding – as it is for every song adaptation on the soundtrack (the soundtrack spent 54 weeks on the Billboards Top 200 Albums Chart), and the marriage of respect for tradition with the fun of the new is a perfect conclusion to a great story. If you do not feel an irresistible need to air-punch during the number’s climatic moments, please do check your vital signs for serious illness – or possibly death.