Christopher Durang's daring play SISTER MARY IGNATIUS EXPLAINS IT ALL TO YOU has finally been made into a film by Showtime. And, while watching, I asked myself a seemingly appropriate question: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
The movie takes place at Sister Mary Ignatius' 25th annual Christmas Eve Mass. While Sister Mary gives her usual sermons, four friends who were in Sister Mary's Sunday school class reunite to (if you'll pardon the pun) raise Hell at the Mass, by restaging their Nativity play as a farce of Sister Mary's lectures.
This part of the movie is very funny. The lighthearted pokes at Catholicism will have many rolling with laughter, and the Nativity play had me in stitches.
Unfortunately, the movie takes a dark, disparaging turn that entirely ruins the movie. While the same shocking turn was played up for laughs in Durang's play, here, it is played up for full shock value. By the end of the movie, you'll have forgotten nearly all that is good about it and only focus on the last 20 disturbing minutes.
In short, SISTER MARY is, for the most part, a good movie. However, do NOT watch it in its entirety, or the experience will be ruined for you.
The movie takes place at Sister Mary Ignatius' 25th annual Christmas Eve Mass. While Sister Mary gives her usual sermons, four friends who were in Sister Mary's Sunday school class reunite to (if you'll pardon the pun) raise Hell at the Mass, by restaging their Nativity play as a farce of Sister Mary's lectures.
This part of the movie is very funny. The lighthearted pokes at Catholicism will have many rolling with laughter, and the Nativity play had me in stitches.
Unfortunately, the movie takes a dark, disparaging turn that entirely ruins the movie. While the same shocking turn was played up for laughs in Durang's play, here, it is played up for full shock value. By the end of the movie, you'll have forgotten nearly all that is good about it and only focus on the last 20 disturbing minutes.
In short, SISTER MARY is, for the most part, a good movie. However, do NOT watch it in its entirety, or the experience will be ruined for you.