The "Reverend Mother" (Dame Maggie Smith) seeks out the now hugely successful "Deloris" (Whoopi Goldberg) to help her to save a school from closure. Upon arrival, and assumption of her clerical moniker "Sister Mary Clarence" she discovers a disparate band of students who have little faith in themselves, each other - or their teachers. Can she lick them into shape and use their newly formed choir to save the school from the bulldozers? The premiss is not a patch on the first film, and neither is the execution. Dame Maggie offer a few classy cameo roles, as does an on form Mary Wickes with James Coburn appearing occasionally as the ferret-like administrator determined to help ensure the school does actually close, but for the most part this is akin to an early episode of "Fame". The kids, including an early appearance from Lauryn Hill, are almost auditioning - either to the nuns or to the audience, and even the ending is just a little like the end of "the Sound of Music" (only admittedly, somewhat livelier!). It's not terrible, but somehow it misses the faux-menace of the first in the series. It was made very quickly after that first one, so i wonder if this was more about capitalising on that success rather than making a quality sequel?
2023-08-26
