Sister Act 2 (1993)

Episode 157 (April 25, 2025)

Friend of the Show Jen (@JenWalksN2Walls on TikTok) joins us to cover Sister Act 2. We once again follow the misadventures of Deloris (Whoopi Goldberg), a Las Vegas headliner who selfishly abandons the backup dancers, crew members, and support staff who rely on her show to make their living, all so she can go be a substitute teacher at a Catholic school for some reason. Seriously, is she paying all these people out of her pocket while her show is on hiatus? Or is she like Jimmy Fallon during the 2023 strikes, sending them each a $20 gift card and best wishes?

Anyway. This movie’s a lot of fun, but it is all over the place. Looking into the production history, we see it’s a hastily produced sequel that seems almost as if it started as an original, unrelated script about a high school choir competition and then had the Sister Act nuns awkwardly grafted onto it. Still, Whoopi Goldberg is her usual delightful self, but she’s outshined by these delightful kids, including a just-about-to-be-a-superstar Lauryn Hill as Rita, a high schooler whose mom hates choirs more than anything else.

Sister Act 2 Podcast

Time stamps:
6:42 — Our personal histories with Sister Act 2
21:45 — History segment: Production of Sister Act 2 under director Bill Duke and its lasting legacy
39:30 — In-depth movie discussion
1:30:30 — Final thoughts and star ratings

Sources:
“Bill Duke on ‘Deep Cover,’ ‘Sister Act 2,’ and Reshaping What Black Movies Could Be in the ’90s” by Robert Daniels | IndieWire (2022) – https://bit.ly/3RNWPvw
“How did ‘Sister Act 2’ become a classic musical?” by David Dennis Jr. | Andscape (2019) – https://bit.ly/3Yz9Xse
“Sister Act 2 Cast Reunites to Sing ‘Joyful, Joyful’ and ‘Oh Happy Day,’ 30 Years After Film — Watch” by Dave Quinn | People Magazine (2024) – https://bit.ly/3G80r98
“A Fresh Take on Black America: On ‘Sister Act 2’” by Brandon Tensley | Los Angeles Review of Books (2023) – https://bit.ly/4iiL9vS
“‘Sister Act 2’ Set the Gold Standard for Bad Sequels” by Caspar Salmon | Vice (2018) – https://bit.ly/3RkxkSv
“Whoopi Goldberg looks back on Sister Act” by Mary Sellosi | Entertainment Weekly (2017) – https://bit.ly/4ig3Obm

Artwork by Laci Roth.

Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).

Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode:
“Winston-Salem” – https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM
“Snake Drama” – https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg
“The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” – https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ