''Sister Mary Explains It All'' is a 2001
satirical dark comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
film written by
Christopher Durang
Christopher Ferdinand Durang (born January 2, 1949) is an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s, though his career seemed to get a second wind in the late 1990s.
...
and directed by
Marshall Brickman
Marshall Brickman (born August 25, 1939) is an American screenwriter and director, best known for his collaborations with Woody Allen. He is the co-recipient of the 1977 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for ''Annie Hall''. He is also kn ...
. The film, based upon Durang's 1979 play ''
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You
''Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You'' is a play by Christopher Durang.
Productions
''Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You'' was first performed on December 14, 1979, at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City. It was ...
'', and starring
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton (''née'' Hall, born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Glo ...
in the title role, premiered on the
Showtime
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Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
network.
Background
The project was filmed in Toronto in association with
Columbia TriStar Television
Columbia TriStar Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CTT) was an American television production and distribution company that was active from 1994 to 2002. It was operated as the third name of the early television studio Screen Gems and the fourth ...
.
The theme was originally covered in Christopher Durang's 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 Brickman's choice for the role, which was cast against type, and she accepted the part because she thought she couldn't do it.
The
Catholic League objected to the depiction of Catholicism in the film and took out a full-page advertisement in ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' to protest its broadcast.
William A. Donohue, the president of the Catholic League, called for a boycott of
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* Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate
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, Showtime's parent company.
Plot
Sister Mary (
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton (''née'' Hall, born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Glo ...
) is an authoritarian
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
who teaches children. Her teaching is heavily influenced by her fanatical beliefs. Four of her former pupils, Gary (
Brian Benben
Brian Edward Benben (born June 18, 1956) is an American actor, best known for his role as Martin Tupper in the HBO comedy television series '' Dream On'' (1990–1996), and also known as Sheldon Wallace on ABC medical drama '' Private Practice'' ...
), Aloysius (
Wallace Langham
James Wallace Langham II (born March 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Phil the Head Writer on ''The Larry Sanders Show''. He has also played the roles of David Hodges on the crime drama television series '' ...
), Angela (
Laura San Giacomo
Laura San Giacomo (born November 14, 1962) is an American actress. She played Cynthia in the film ''Sex, Lies, and Videotape'' (1989) for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Kit De Luca in the film ''Pretty Woman ...
) and Philomena (
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan; September 16, 1958) is an American–Canadian actress and poker player. Known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, two MTV Movie Awards and three Sa ...
), return to the school to show her how deeply her strict views on faith and sin have affected their lives.
Partial cast
*
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton (''née'' Hall, born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Glo ...
as Sister Mary Ignatius
*
Brian Benben
Brian Edward Benben (born June 18, 1956) is an American actor, best known for his role as Martin Tupper in the HBO comedy television series '' Dream On'' (1990–1996), and also known as Sheldon Wallace on ABC medical drama '' Private Practice'' ...
as Gary Sullivan
*
Wallace Langham
James Wallace Langham II (born March 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Phil the Head Writer on ''The Larry Sanders Show''. He has also played the roles of David Hodges on the crime drama television series '' ...
as Aloysius Benheim
*
Laura San Giacomo
Laura San Giacomo (born November 14, 1962) is an American actress. She played Cynthia in the film ''Sex, Lies, and Videotape'' (1989) for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Kit De Luca in the film ''Pretty Woman ...
as Angela DiMarco
*
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan; September 16, 1958) is an American–Canadian actress and poker player. Known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, two MTV Movie Awards and three Sa ...
as Philomena Rostovich
*
Max Morrow
Max Morrow is a Canadian former actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Connor Undercover'' as the title character, ''Monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices reli ...
as Thomas
*
Martin Mull
Martin Eugene Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor, comedian and musician who has appeared in many television and film roles. He is also a painter and recording artist. As an actor, he first became known in his role on '' Mary Hartman ...
as Skeptical Husband
*
Linda Kash
Linda Kash (born 17 January 1961) is a Canadian actress.
Career
An alumna of Second City, she played Trudy Weissman in the 1998 Jean Smart sitcom '' Style & Substance''. She has also played various roles in popular television series, such as ' ...
as Skeptical Husband's Wife
*
Victoria Tennant
Victoria Tennant (born 30 September 1950) is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the TV miniseries ''The Winds of War'' and ''War and Remembrance'', in which she appeared as actor Robert Mitchum's on-screen love interest, Pamela Tud ...
as Bitter Divorcee
*
Michael Cameron as Young Gary Sullivan
*
Gary Pearson as Man in Audience
Critical reception
Steven Oxman of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote "Satire tends to date quickly, but Christopher Durang's 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 writer's incisive wit". He noted that the film did not have the same theatricality of Durang's initial work, and that with the original stageplay constructed for the audience's participation, the film included actors as representing broad characterizations of the play's 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.
Recognition
Max Morrow
Max Morrow is a Canadian former actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Connor Undercover'' as the title character, ''Monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices reli ...
received a 2002
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
nomination for 'Best Performance in a TV Movie or Special — Supporting Young Actor' for his role of Thomas.
References
External links
''Sister Mary Explains It All''at the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{Marshall Brickman
2001 films
American comedy-drama films
American black comedy films
Films directed by Marshall Brickman
Films scored by Philippe Sarde
2000s English-language films
2000s American films