Goldberg is placed in a nunnery headed by conservative Maggie Smith. Goldberg has trouble adapting to the strict regimen of a nun, until Smith in exasperation requests Goldberg devote all her time to the nun choir. At first the choir is awful, but then Goldberg works her showbiz skills. Soon, the choir is both hip and together, and packing the house at the mission church.
The downside of the newfound media attention to the ministry is that Goldberg's cover is blown. She is kidnapped and taken to Reno for an interview with Keitel. Bill Nunn fearlessly and singlehandedly comes to her rescue, and, because it's a movie, so do the nuns.
How others will see it. Sister Act was a hit, and also scored points with critics, on the basis that it was a crowd pleaser. The film's target audience of adult women particularly enjoyed the movie, which, predictably enough, was followed by a sequel: Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
How I felt about it. This is not a movie to be taken seriously. And that is a good thing, because the dramatic scenes are sometimes poor. Most telling is the scene where Nunn is informed that a subordinate cop asked for paperwork indicating Goldberg's relocation. Nunn responds by running back to his office, where he punches the cop, knocks him to the floor, and barks out an order for his arrest. A real police officer would calmly approach the potential rogue cop, usher him quietly into his office, and ask a series of probing questions about why he wanted the paperwork.
But, of course, that wouldn't be nearly as exciting as assault and battery. This indicates that the director will take the easy way out. Bill Nunn has no doubt that asking for paperwork makes a man a spy for mobsters. This gets him so excited that he commits assault and battery in front of the entire staff, an action that could strip him of his position and even put him in jail. And he, personally, goes to the casino, gun in hand, to stop the bad guys, instead of sending agents to quietly watch who goes in and out of the casino. Again, too difficult to depict without it being boring.
I read an interesting article that stated 2001: A Space Odyssey was the most scientifically plausible science fiction movie. If so, that is because director Stanley Kubrick refused to take the easy way out. The computer, Hal, wasn't evil. He was confused. Astronaut Dave patiently took out Hal one circuit at a time. He didn't come after it with an axe while shouting profanities watered down to a PG rating.
But in Sister Act, the nuns go into a tough biker bar and dance with the customers. Why? Because the director thinks it would be funny. Keitel aims a gun at Goldberg's head in front of a dozen plus nuns. Why? Because the director thinks it is exciting. What is Keitel going to do, kill all the nuns? Certainly he can't stop with Whoopi, since the other nuns could also testify against him for murder.
We also note that the one cute nun, Sister Mary Patrick (Kathy Najimy), is also the only nun who doesn't wear a full habit, which would hide her comely red hair. And she also has the meatiest nun supporting role, aside from that of Smith, who is always at odds with Goldberg's behavior yet always makes the decision that increases Goldberg's influence over the nuns.