Sister Mary Explains It All
6.2 /10 1 Votes6.2
Music director Philippe Sarde Duration Language English | 6/10 IMDb Country United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date May 27, 2001 (2001-05-27) Cast (Sister Mary Ignatius), (Gary Sullivan), (Aloysius Benheim), (Angela DiMarco), (Philomena Rostovich), (Thomas) Similar movies Diane Keaton appears in Sister Mary Explains It All and directed Hanging Up Tagline When it comes to sin... she's hell on wheels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Near Christmas, four former students of Sister Mary Ignatius (Diane Keaton) drop in at a holiday event at the school where the Roman Catholic nun has taught for many years. Now adults, the students (Brian Benben, Wallace Langham, Laura San Giacomo, Jennifer Tilly) have decided to tell Sister Mary that her rigid classroom lessons and demeanor left them emotionally wounded. Sister Mary tries to maintain her composure, but as the ex-students keep at it, the evening takes a stunning turn.
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Sister Mary Explains It All is a 2001 satirical dark comedy film written by Christopher Durang and directed by Marshall Brickman. The film, based upon Durangs 1979 play Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, and starring Diane Keaton in the title role, premiered on the Showtime network.
As Sister Mary delivers a lecture on sin and its consequences, she's interrupted by several of her former students, who have little positive to say about how a Catholic education has impacted their lives.
Background
The project was filmed in Toronto in association with Columbia TriStar Television. The theme was originally covered in Christopher Durangs controversial 1979 stage play. In updating the character of Sister Mary, Durang read through 15 earlier drafts of the screenplay and discussed changes with Brickman and the producers. The original film title was Sister Mary, but Durang felt the proffered title was too generic, preferring the original theatrical title. For the film, Keaton was Brickmans choice for the role, which was cast against type, and she accepted the part because she thought she couldnt do it.
The Catholic League objected to the depiction of Catholicism in the film and took out a full-page advertisement in Variety to protest its broadcast. William A. Donohue, the president of the Catholic League, called for a boycott of Viacom, Showtimes parent company.
Plot
Sister Mary (Diane Keaton) is an authoritarian Catholic nun who teaches children. Her teaching is heavily influenced by her fanatical beliefs. Four of her former pupils, Gary (Brian Benben), Aloysius (Wallace Langham), Angela (Laura San Giacomo) and Philomena (Jennifer Tilly), return to the school to show her how deeply her strict views on faith and sin have affected their lives.
Partial cast
Critical reception
Steven Oxman of Variety wrote "Satire tends to date quickly, but Christopher Durangs 1980 black comedy criticizing Catholic rigidity, "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You," still has some bite to it, which says a lot about the writers incisive wit". He noted that the film did not have the same theatricality of Durangs initial work, and that with the original stageplay constructed for the audiences participation, the film included actors as representing broad characterizations of the plays audiences. Oxman concluded that the film might have perhaps remained truer to the original play had Sister Mary delivered her lecture directly to her unseen television audience.
Similar Movies
Diane Keaton appears in Sister Mary Explains It All and directed Hanging Up. Chuck & Buck (2000). Diane Keaton appears in Sister Mary Explains It All and The Other Sister. Diane Keaton appears in Sister Mary Explains It All and Manhattan. Expecting Mary (2012).
Recognition
Max Morrow received a 2002 Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a TV Movie or Special — Supporting Young Actor for his role of Thomas.
References
Sister Mary Explains It All WikipediaSister Mary Explains It All IMDb Sister Mary Explains It All themoviedb.org