Back In The Habit

It is the sequel to the 1992 film Sister Act, and is loosely based on the life of Crenshaw High School choir instructor Iris Stevenson. The story sees Whoopi Goldberg reprising her role as Deloris van Cartier, as she finds herself coming to the aid of her nun friends who need her help to save her old school. Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, and Mary Wickes also reprised their roles in the sequel.

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bill Duke
Written by	James Orr Jim Cruickshank Judi Ann Mason
Based on	Characters by Joseph Howard
Produced by	Scott Rudin Dawn Steel
Starring	Whoopi Goldberg Kathy Najimy James Coburn Maggie Smith
Cinematography	Oliver Wood
Edited by	John Carter Pem Herring
Music by	Marc Shaiman Miles Goodman
Production company	Touchstone Pictures
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date	December 10, 1993 (1993-12-10)
Running time	107 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$38 million
Box office	$125 million

The film performed well at the box office, but was less commercially successful than its predecessor, and initially received generally negative reviews from critics. However it has proved popular with fans and has become a cult classic. It starred Lauryn Hill in her breakout role, as well as Sheryl Lee Ralph, Alanna Ubach, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Gospel singer Erica Campbell of the duo Mary Mary, R&B singer Ryan Toby of the group City High, and The War and Treaty singer Tanya Trotter, also made appearances as members of the film's choir.

Deloris Van Cartier has become a famous performer in Las Vegas since her time posing as a nun to hide from the mob, presenting an entire dinner show based on her experience. During her latest performance, she is reunited with her friends, Sisters Mary Patrick, Mary Robert, and Mary Lazarus, who are in the audience. They have come to Las Vegas to beg her assistance.

Deloris meets with another old friend, the Reverend Mother, who explains that the convent nuns now teach at the St. Francis Academy in San Francisco. Coincidentally, Deloris attended this school in her childhood. The school faces closure unless its reputation can be improved. The nuns ask her to reprise her persona as Sister Mary Clarence and become the new music teacher. She reluctantly agrees.

At the school, Mary Clarence meets the school's staff of friars, led by the humble but inept Father Maurice, and the diocese administrator, Mr. Crisp, who wants the school to close, so he may receive early retirement. She attends her first music class, meeting the rowdy teenagers, who attend the class with the expectation of receiving an easy "A". Mary Clarence butts heads with ringleader, Rita Louise Watson. Rita walks out when Mary Clarence informs the students that they will have to earn their grades. The other students stay to avoid failure. When they break into spontaneous, synchronized singing, Mary Clarence is inspired to turn them into a choir. Initially, the students are dismayed and object to her proposal, fearing it will damage their street credibility.

Mary Robert overhears Rita's talented singing. She recommends that Mary Clarence convince Rita to return to class. Students, nuns and friars work to restore the school's decrepit music room, and the class begins to practice extensively. They perform "Oh, Happy Day" before the whole school, led by Ahmal, a talented vocalist. The nuns discover numerous trophies, revealing the school won the All-State Choir Championship multiple times in the past, and decide to enter them once again. Father Maurice allows it, as long as they raise the money themselves and each student has a signed parental permission slip.

Rita's strict but well-meaning mother Florence refuses to let her attend, believing a musical career is a dead end as her husband died trying to chase fame. However, Rita forges her mother's signature to attend, leaving an apology note for her disobedience, prompting Florence to drive to Hollywood to see the competition. Mr. Crisp discovers a magazine in the school library with Deloris Van Cartier on the cover. Recognizing her as Mary Clarence, he warns Father Maurice of the sham. The choir has already left for the competition, so the friars pile into their old van and race to confront Mary Clarence.

Backstage at the competition the choir are intimidated by the talent of the opposition, but Mary Clarence inspires them to persevere. The friars arrive, and Father Maurice decides to support the choir upon seeing their enthusiasm. The other friars trap Mr. Crisp in a closet to prevent him from interfering. The choir takes to the stage. Rita briefly experiences stage fright upon spotting her mother in the audience but then proceeds to perform an impressive solo before the choir perform an urban contemporary gospel rendition of "Joyful, Joyful", with hip hop choreography.

The choir wins the competition. Impressed with the performance, the school's local diocese agrees to keep the school open. To thwart Mr. Crisp, the Reverend Mother states that the competition entry was his idea, and that the diocese must have another "hot spot" position for him..."we cannot let such a prize bull be put out to pasture".

Rita and Florence make amends, while the choir learns Mary Clarence is actually a professional singer. They ask her if she is a Las Vegas showgirl, to which she claims she has never been such, but is a "headliner".

The end credits feature the film's cast performing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

Box office

The film was not as successful as Sister Act. It grossed $57.3 million in the United States and Canada and $67.3 million internationally for a worldwide total of $124.6 million, against a $38 million budget.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 18% approval rating based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 3.6/10. The consensus states: "Sister Act is off-key in this reprise, fatally shifting the spotlight from Whoopi Goldberg to a less compelling ensemble of pupils and trading its predecessor's sharp comedy for unconvincing sentiment." On Metacritic it has a score of 38% based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated it 2 out of 4 and wrote "What's strange about Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit is that it abandons most of what people liked about the first movie and replaces it with a formula as old as the hills." Brian Lowry of Variety wrote that it "Lacks the charm and buoyancy that made the first "Act" a mass-appeal hit." Rita Kempley of The Washington Post called it "Shamelessly contrived pap."

Ty Burr of Entertainment Weekly criticized the lack of originality but says "The recycling’s so cheerily blatant it almost short- circuits criticism" and "What saves the movie is a young cast with astonishing talent and energy: You respond to their high spirits more than to the hackneyed characters they play." He gave the film a B− grade.

The film gained a strong following since its release and became a cult classic among fans. Director Bill Duke said about the reception: "The reviewers at that time could not really be linked to our communities or the message. As you know, the faces of the reviewers were very different than the viewers. So I was surprised, but not shocked, because they didn't get us at the time. They didn't get the message and did not relate on an emotional level." Later he said: “I think a Black director doing something of this magnitude was not necessarily acceptable in those days,” Duke said.In those days, I was never going to get the same respect the original got.”

In a reader's poll conducted in 2014, the film ranked amongst the 25 Greatest Movie Sequels by Rolling Stone. In 2023, the movie was named one of best musical movies of all time by Marie Claire.

Awards and nominations

Retrospective acclaim

At the time of its release, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit was panned by film critics. However, the film began to resurface in syndication, as its stars Lauryn Hill and Jennifer Love Hewitt became cultural phenomenons in the 1990s, ultimately leading the film to become a cult classic. Something acknowledged by Ryan Toby in 2020: “Contrary to popular belief, Sister Act II was considered a box office flop compared to the first one. The difference is, Sister Act II gained a cult following as it started playing on TV.“ It has since been reassessed over the years by modern journalist and is considered a standard in black cinema. David Dennis Jr. of Andscape, proclaimed "the cultural impact of Sister Act 2 is felt across movies, music and even your Sunday church services."

Rotten Tomatoes referred to the film as a landmark for diversity for films released in its time, and a showcase of "representation in mainstream American film". Furthermore, the film has received praise by Vice as "a work of art whose ambition and execution redefined what sequels could do".

Cultural impact

Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit along with gospel musician Kirk Franklin, has been credited with helping to usher in a new era of gospel music that made the genre more palatable to a wider audience by incorporating elements of hip-hop and rhythm and blues. Singer Syleena Johnson stated that "Sister Act 2 was part of the movement to bring all of that mainstream". The film's popularity seemingly led to a spike in interest for "glee clubs and choirs"; becoming a precursor to similar productions such as Glee (2009-2015), Joyful Noise (2012), and Praise This (2023). In Japan, the film inspired the creation of nearly thirty choirs in the country. Entertainer Ken Taylor stated "what happened was the businesses in Japan, who are quick to adopt these fads, started offering Gospel choir lessons. It was not the churches, but the community centers that had these choirs"; further adding "So here were non-Christians in Japan saying that they wanted to sing just like the nuns in the movie."

Lauryn Hill's performance has received acclaim from fans, critics and musicians alike. According to music executive Jerry L. Greenberg, Hill's role led her to receive a solo record deal offer from Michael Jackson, which she turned down due to being a member of The Fugees. Over the years, countless musicians have cited Hill's performance as an inspiration for them to pursue music careers, including Lianne La Havas, Colbie Caillat, August Alsina, Hillary Scott of Lady A, and Lecrae. Singer-Actress Janelle Monáe cited Hill's performance as a source of inspiration for her acting career. Pop star Katy Perry stated that the only secular music she was allowed to listen to growing up was the film's accompanying soundtrack. Perry also told Rolling Stone that she was raised on Hill's version of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow". Billboard ranked Hill's performance at number 38 on their list of 'The 100 Best Acting Performances by Musicians in Movies' in 2018.

Additionally, English singer Harry Styles has cited Ryan Toby's singing in the film as the primary source of inspiration for him to pursue a music career. EGOT-winner Jennifer Hudson dressed up as Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) during a Halloween episode of her daytime talk show The Jennifer Hudson Show. Hudson also name the film along with Goldberg as inspirations for her to pursue a career in music.

The music video for "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift references the film during the end credits. Lizzo paid tribute to the film during her performance of "Juice" at the 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards. The film's "Joyful, Joyful" scene was reenacted in the 'Game Over' episode, during season 3 of the American comedy series Broad City by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, and featured Goldberg reprising her role.

Cast and crew’s response

Whoopi Goldberg is very fond of the movie: “For me, I feel like it was great, but it wasn't as spectacular as it might have been. But then again, I wouldn't have gotten to play with all those wonderful actors. So you never know. But I think it's fun, I think people like one and two, because they're kind of the same film but very different.“ Same with Jennifer Love Hewitt: “We all had a blast doing SISTER ACT. I have a lot of fun memories.“

The soundtrack album was released on November 23, 1993, by Hollywood Records, it reached #74 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and #40 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and received a Gold certification from the RIAA for shipment of 500,000 copies on March 26, 1996.

1. Greatest Medley Ever Told – Whoopi Goldberg & The Ronelles
2. Never Should've Let You Go – Hi-Five
3. Get Up Offa That Thing/Dancing in the Street – Whoopi Goldberg
4. Oh Happy Day – St. Francis Choir featuring Ryan Toby
5. Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) – Whoopi Goldberg & the Sisters
6. His Eye Is on the Sparrow – Tanya Blount & Lauryn Hill
7. A Deeper Love – Aretha Franklin & Lisa Fischer
8. Wandering Eyes – Nuttin' Nyce
9. Pay Attention – Valeria Andrews & Ryan Toby
10. Ode to Joy – Chapman College Choir
11. Joyful, Joyful – St. Francis Choir featuring Lauryn Hill
12. Ain't No Mountain High Enough – Whoopi Goldberg & Cast

The finale performance of "Joyful Joyful" was produced and arranged by Mervyn Warren, noted jazz and gospel musician who is best known as an original member of a cappella vocal group Take 6. The arrangement also includes rap lyrics written by Ryan Toby, and a bridge adapted from the chorus of Janet Jackson's 1986 single, What Have You Done for Me Lately.

Certifications

The all-region Blu-ray, including both Sister Act and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, was released on June 19, 2012, with both films presented in 1080p. The 3-disc set also includes both films on DVD with the same bonus features as previous releases.

When asked in 2013 about acting in a sequel, Whoopi Goldberg initially refused, but by 2015 changed her stance to a maybe. After a Broad City cameo, in 2016 Goldberg expressed doubts about a sequel based on missing cast members, but said she thought it would be fun and likeable. In May 2017, she affirmed her desire for the third film to happen, adding in July that she would like to direct it and had confidence it would be made. On December 7, 2018, it was confirmed that Regina Y. Hicks and Karin Gist were hired to write the script to Sister Act 3 for a release on Disney+. In December 2020, it was announced that Goldberg would be reprising the role of Deloris and serve as a producer alongside Tyler Perry.