Nuns on the Run (1990)

Director:

Jonathan Lynn

Writer:

Jonathan Lynn (written by)

Release Date:

16 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

The Story of an Immaculate Deception.

Plot:

Brian and Charlie (B & C) work for a gangster. When the boss learns they want to "leave", he sets them up to be killed...

Plot Keywords:

Nun | Cross Dressing | Gender Disguise | Transvestism | Priest

Cast

Eric Idle	...	Brian Hope
Robbie Coltrane	...	Charlie McManus
Camille Coduri	...	Faith
Janet Suzman	...	Sister Superior
Doris Hare	...	Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart
Lila Kaye	...	Sister Mary of the Annunciation
Robert Patterson	...	'Case' Casey
Robert Morgan	...	Abbott
Winston Dennis	...	Morley
Tom Hickey	...	Father Seamus
Colin Campbell	...	Norm
Richard Simpson	...	Mr. Norris
Nicholas Hewetson	...	Louis
Gary Tang	...	Ronnie Chang
David Forman	...	Henry Ho

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | USA:PG-13 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London, England, UK

Company:

HandMade Films

Trivia:

Brian is from London and Charlie is from Liverpool. In the Japanese subtitled version, Brian's dialogue is subtitled in Tokyo dialect and Charlie's in Osaka dialect.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Brian's and Charlie's car runs out of gas, we hear the engine stall and the starter engine being cranked, while we still see Brian holding the steering wheel with both hands.

Quotes:

Brian Hope: Look Charlie, some con men sell life insurance. The church sells afterlife insurance. It's brilliant! Everyone thinks you might need it, and no one can prove you don't.
Charlie McManus: The church isn't selling anything, Brian.
Brian Hope: Oh! Well, if the church isn't selling anything how did it get to be so rich? Just remember, wherever there's a deep human need there's money to be made.
Charlie McManus: You think so?
Brian Hope: Of course, look at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Pushing Daisies: Bad Habits (#2.3)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

BLOW AWAY

Handmade with Care.

Handmade films started off by making the phenomenal Monty Python's Life of Brian, made several fantastic films to follow that, and just 11 years later wound down their production with this hidden gem. Nuns on the Run is a truly British comedy. No other country in the world can do comedy as well as the British, and this movie represents when they got just about everything right. Perfect casting, fantastic scenario and some hilarious one-liners. This was really one of the last great films comedies, with only Fierce Creatures and Chicken Run coming close since. Unfairly maligned, I seldom hear a good word said about it in the film community, yet nobody I know possibly has any criticism of it. It will continue to be a personal favourite of mine, and I'd hope that other people will in time realise just what they've been missing. 9/10.