Changing Habits (1997)

Director
Lynn Roth

Main cast
Moira Kelly; Teri Garr; Eileen Brennan; Shelley Duvall; Dylan Walsh

Genres
Romance, Comedy, Drama

Description
An aspiring artist runs from men as a result of an early life problem that has left her relationship with her father strained. She decides to move into a convent where troubled women receive cheap lodging in exchange for work. She finds a dirty area in the basement where she paints a mural that deals with all of her psychological problems. While some find it gaudy, others such as the mother superior realizes its potential to save the convent which is to be closed. During all this the artist starts a relationship with a man who owns an art supply shop where she shop-lifts her supplies. Written by John Sacksteder


Similar movies

Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax is tired of her wacky mom moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper, Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate, hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are.
A Belgian nun, Sister Ann is sent to another order where she's at first committed to helping troubled souls like, Nichole and little Dominic. When Father Clementi hears Sister Ann's uplifting singing style, he takes her to a talent contest. Suddenly, Sister Ann is signed to a record deal and everyone is listening to her light-hearted songs. Sister Ann is unprepared for her new found fame (like appearing on the "Ed Sullivan" show) and unwanted side-effects, including a wrongful attraction to an old friend,
An unemployed construction worker (Homer Smith) heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior (Mother Maria), who believes that Homer has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert...
A man wakes up in an alley, bleeding and with no memory of who he is. He stumbles into a coffee shop and is befriended by a charitable ex-nun who is failing in her attempts to write marketable pornography.
The first of what Luis Buñuel later proclaimed a trilogy (along with The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Phantom of Liberty) about “the search for truth,” The Milky Way (La voie lactee) daringly deconstructs contemporary and traditional views on Catholicism with ribald, rambunctious surreality. Two French beggars, present-day pilgrims en route to Spain’s holy city of Santiago de Compostela, serve as Buñuel’s narrators for an anticlerical history of heresy, told with absurdity and filled with images that rank among Buñuel’s most memorable (stigmatic children, crucified nuns) and hilarious (Jesus considering a good shave). A diabolically entertaining look at the mysteries of fanaticism, The Milky Way remains a hotly debated work from cinema’s greatest skeptic.
A nightclub singer seeks refuge with gay nuns on dope in a Madrid convent.
An adaptation of nine stories from Bocaccio's "Decameron": A young Sicilian is swindled twice, but ends up rich; a man poses as a deaf-mute in a convent of curious nuns; a woman must hide her lover when her husband comes home early; a scoundrel fools a priest on his deathbed; three brothers take revenge on their sister's lover; a young girl sleeps on the roof to meet her boyfriend at night; a group of painters wait for inspiration; a crafty priest attempts to seduce his friend's wife; and two friends make a pact to find out what happens after death. Pasolini is up to his old tricks satirizing the Church, and throwing in liberal doses of life and love
In Paris, a young American who works as a Michael Jackson lookalike meets Marilyn Monroe, who invites him to her commune in Scotland, where she lives with Charlie Chaplin and her daughter, Shirley Temple.
Pete, an eight-year-old Catholic boy growing up in the suburbs of Chicago in the mid-1970s, attends Catholic school, where as classes let out for the summer, he's admonished by a nun to follow the path of the Lord, and not that of the Devil. Perhaps taking this message a bit too seriously, Pete decides it's his goal for the summer to help someone get into heaven; having been told that Catholicism is the only sure path to the kingdom of the Lord, Pete decides to convert a Jew to Catholicism in order to improve their standing in the afterlife. Hoping to find a likely candidate, Pete begins visiting a nearby synagogue, where he gets to know Rabbi Jacobson, who responds to Pete's barrage of questions with good humor. Pete also makes friends with the Rabbi's son, Danny, who is about the same age; when he learns that Danny is seriously ill, he decides Danny would be an excellent choice for conversion.
Only a few songs as Elvis plays it straight as Dr John Carpenter. Mary Tyler Moore stars opposite as an incognito nun with a mission to help Dr Elvis clean up the ghetto he lives in. Can the King compete against God for Mary's heart?
Film adaptation of a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a nun who becomes a governess for an Austrian family.
In 1942, a cargo ship jammed with British evacuees from Singapore is sunk by a Japanese sub. A small lifeboat carries a beautiful woman, an army officer, a bigoted administrator, and a black seaman. Only the seaman knows the woman is a nun. The men reveal their true selves under the hardships of survival. Told in a too-long flashback frame.
Mary, an inmate of an orphanage run by nuns, is good at studies and is artistically talented, her education so far has been sponsored by a philanthropist. Her sponsor, a rich old man who she has never met but has only corresponded with through the nuns, passes away, laving her dreams of a college education in shambles. Mr. Robert Brown (Bob) who is now at the helm of affairs of his father's business agrees to continue her sponsorship. Bob is a confirmed bachelor and Mary is drawn to him by some mysterious force.
A drama centered on the friendship between two young women who grew up in the same orphanage; one has found refuge at a convent in Romania and refuses to leave with her friend, who now lives in Germany.
In Majorca, in 1823, a French general, Armand de Montriveau, overhears a cloistered nun singing in a chapel; he insists on speaking to her. She is Antoinette, for five years he has searched for her. Flash back to their meeting in Paris, he recently returned from Africa, she married and part of the highest society. She flirts with him, and soon he's captivated. His behavior is possessive, insistent. Then, it is her turn to become obsessed. Letters, balls, scandal, a kidnapping, and an ultimatum bring her to the cloister and him to melancholy.
Set in Paris in 1919, biopic centers on the life of late Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, focusing on his last days as well as his rivalry with Pablo Picasso. Modigliani, a Jew, has fallen in love with Jeanne, a young and beautiful Catholic girl. The couple has an illegitimate child, and Jeanne's bigoted parents send the baby to a faraway convent to be raised by nuns. Modigliani is distraught and
The film is set in Tuscany during the Black Death. As in the Decameron, ten young Florentines take refuge from the plague. But instead of telling stories, they have lusty adventures, bawdy exchanges, romance and swordplay. There are randy nuns, Saracen pirates, and a sexy cow.
After the war, a partisan hospital is set up in a monastery, with the nuns working as nurses. A beautiful young nun, Maria, becomes very fond of the partisan leader, Commissar Nenad.
Upon taking her vows to become a nun, Sister Sarah is abused, brainwashed and drugged into submission by the corrupt clergy. On the verge of death from a lethal dose of drugs, Sister Sarah receives a message from GOD telling her to take vengeance on all those who did her wrong. Armed with God's will and an arsenal of big guns, she dispenses Judgment Day on her former tormentors. When the church hires the merciless motorcycle gang the "Los Muertos" to track down and kill her they soon realize that this SISTER IS ONE BAD MOTHER.
A Reno singer witnesses a mob murder and the cops stash her in a nunnery to protect her from the hitmen. The mother superior does not trust her, and takes steps to limit her influence on the other nuns. Eventually the singer rescues the failing choir and begins helping with community projects, which gets her an interview on TV.
Jean-Paul Belmondo is a lovable lothario who delights in his womanizing ways in this ribald comedy adventure. When two women can't get enough of him, he is chased to Tahiti and back to Paris by admiring females. His experiences are exhausting to the point that he considers giving up his life as a ladies man.
Brian and Charlie work for a gangster. When the boss learns they want to "leave" he sets them up to be killed, after they help rob the local Triads of their drug dealing profits. B&C decide to steal the money for themselves, but when their escape doesn't go to plan, they have to seek refuge in a Nuns' teacher training school.
Coming of age story for two girls, Mary Clancy and Rachel Devery, who find themselves as students at the St. Francis Academy, a catholic boarding school for girls. The story spans three years and follows the girls and their many pranks including setting off fire alarms, smoking cigars in the basement and putting bubble baths in the nuns' sugar bowls. As the girls mature, they gain a greater respect for their teachers and the commitment and devotion required to be a nun, leading one of them to make a life changing decision.
In 1977 a group of young, horny, out of control Christians are spending a fun filled weekend at the mountain lakeside Happy Day Bible Camp. One by one these youthful sinners pay a BLOODY penance for their misdeeds. Flash forward 7 years, when another youth group of Bible toters return, lead by "Father Richard Cummings" (Reggie Bannister), "Sister Mary Chopper," (Tim Sullivan) goes bloody murder after the camp - emphasis on CAMP - with stand out performances by folks like Gigi Bannister, Jessica Sonneborn, Troy Guthrie, Deborah Venegas, Jay Fields, and Jeff Dylan Graham. In the end, Bannister and Troup must face down the a transvestite serial killing nun in a fight to the death, and call upon the higher graces of the infamous Ron Jeremy as "Jesus" guide them through! A hilarious campy equal opportunity offensive film that will have you DIE laughing!
Deloris Van Cartier is again asked to don the nun's habit to help a run-down Catholic school, presided over by Mother Superior. And if trying to reach out to a class full of uninterested students wasn't bad enough, the sisters discover that the school is due to be closed by the unscrupulous local authority chief Mr. Crisp.
Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968) is a movie comedy starring Rosalind Russell and Stella Stevens. The film is a sequel to The Trouble with Angels (1966) and was written by Blanche Hanalis from a story by Jane Trahey, and directed by James Neilson. The story depicts the rivalry between the conservative Mother Superior (Russell) and the glamorous, progressive young Sister George (Stevens) as they shepherd a busload of Catholic high school girls across America to an interfaith youth rally being held in Santa Barbara, California. As they debate expressions of faith and role of the Church in the tumultuous America of the sixties, they must also contend with the antics of two rebellious, trouble-prone students, Rosabelle (Susan Saint James) and Marvel Anne (Barbara Hunter).
To spite her father, a young woman enters a convent. However, the woman's old boyfriend shows up and tries to win her back.
Two nuns come to Rome to protest to an airline about its jet planes which have been flying over their convent school, disrupting teaching of the little orphans who study there and damaging the ancient fresco of their patron saint through sound vibrations.
Victor and Michael are ordinary brothers who have different likes and taste in life. Victor is a chickboy while Michael likes foods and very gullible. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time, they find themselves entangled in mischief with the authorities and goons. Seeking shelter as nuns, will they ever pull this off?
Third in the Nunsense series of musicals.
The original characters from the first Cannonball Run movie compete in an illegal race across the country once more in various cars and trucks.
A man goes to a convent with exciting news, one of the nuns is an heir to a fortune! The man causes the nuns to become obsessed with him as he tries to find the right heir.
Sister Angela and Sister Mary park his van in front of a bank branch. They enter the bank and with the weapons hidden under their habits, commit the robbery of the century, to the astonishment of all employees and customers. After thorough police investigation the two nuns are arrested, but then appears Trini, twin sister of one of them and now all is not so clear. Were the nuns who committed the robbery?
In a spoof on the contemporary sacred cons, two yuppy couples get entangled with warring smugglers of dope that include fake priests and nuns as well as Japanese and Chinese agents.
Christmas 1945. In a train from Stockholm to Berlin are a motley collection. It is the failure of the author Gunnar who wants to leave his old life and make a contribution in Berlin; physician Henry who plan to marry Marie and likewise Henry's current wife Karin, who he plans to kill during the journey, the middle-aged gay couple Pompe and Sixten, a soldier going to Uppsala but is on the wrong train: the cheerful and cynical old Margaret, and a dressed elf and a surly conductor. With the train are also a number of Baltic refugees accompanied by two nuns to be sent to Germany.
Gabrielle Van Der Mal gave up everything to become a nun. But her faith and her vows are forever being tested: first in the missionary Congo hospital where she assists the brilliant and handsome Dr. Fortunati and then at the mother house in France when World War II has broken out and the nuns are forbidden by the order to take sides.
Adapted from James Hadley Chase’s novel, plot finds Robert Mabillon Gelin as a struggling artist who saves Eric Freminger (van Eyck) from a drunken suicide attempt, and promptly gets offered employment as a chauffer by way of gratitude. Once back at the Freminger residence, Robert finds Eric is a severely depressed man with a host of problems. And then Helene Freminger (Morgan) arrives on the scene, hostile, suspicious but ever so sultry, it’s the kick-start of events that can only lead to misery – or worse – for all involved.
A weary sergeant in Korea commands military prisoners on a dangerous mission and is joined by a nun and a group of schoolgirls in enemy territory.
A young man is forced to spend a few days with his father in law...
A dramatised historical account of the rise and fall of Urbain Grandier, a 17th-century Roman Catholic priest accused of witchcraft following alleged demonic possessions of sexually repressed nuns.
In 1944, in South Pacific, the castaway Marine Corporal Allison drifts in a raft to the Tuasiva Island, where he meets Sister Angela. She tells him that she is the only person in the island and was left behind by the runaway boat to Fiji Island while seeking the local priest. Stranded in the island, but with water, fish and fruits, their paradisiacal life ends when the Japanese arrive to build a base, forcing Allison and the nun to hide in a cave. The crude marine provides the necessary supply for their survival and falls in love for the nun.
Sister Cristina (Florinda Bolkan) plays a nun who takes the teenage girls in her care to a remote house where they rehearse A Midsummer Night's Dream. Three thugs show up, brutally raping and terrorizing the girls, killing one by raping her with a cane, until Bolkan renounces her teachings and seeks bloody revenge.
Suzanne Simonin describes her life of suffering in letters. As a young woman she is sent to a convent against her will. Since her parents cannot afford the dowry required for a marriage befitting her rank they decide she must instead become a nun. Although a kind and understanding Mother Superior helps her to learn the convent’s daily routine, Suzanne’s desire for freedom remains unabated. When the Mother Superior dies, Suzanne finds herself faced with reprisals, humiliation and harassment at the hands of the new Abbess and the other Sisters. For many years, Suzanne is subjected to bigotry and religious fanaticism. (Berlinale.de)
A woman who was promised to a powerful family's son at birth falls in love with another man, refuses to renounce him, and is sent to a nunnery by her shocked parents. Once there, she first undergoes degradation to acclimatize her to convent life; then she experiences rampant lesbianism by the repressed nuns, and becomes pregnant by her lover. Finally, her refusal to accede to one nun's lascivious lesbian advances leads to plotting and treachery, and her lover being murdered out of jealousy. Her life now ruined, she further scandalises her family by refusing to take her vows, and leaves the convent, devoting her existence to those in need. Claims to be based on a true story!
After opening a convent in the Himalayas, five nuns encounter conflict and tension as they attempt to adapt to their remote, exotic surroundings.
Four women are given into the custody of the Magdalene sisterhood asylum to correct their sinful behavior: Crispina and Rose have given birth to a premarital child, Margaret got raped by her cousin and the orphan Bernadette had been repeatedly caught flirting with the boys. All have to work in a laundry under the strict supervision of the nuns, who break their wills through sadistic punishment.
1949 film from 20th Century Fox that was nominated for numerous Oscars including Loretta Young for best Actress and Celeste Holm and Elsa Lanchester for best Supporting Actress. It is a simple, reverent story of French nuns and their powerful faith as they push New Englanders toward funding a new hospital. Old-fashioned and tedious by the standards of today, it ought to be remembered if only for it's Oscar nominations (none of which earned a an Oscar).
In 1964, a Catholic school nun questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student, suspecting him of abuse. He denies the charges, and much of the film's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality, and authority.
At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the nun Maria is forced to flee her convent. She takes refuge in a brothel, until it is liberated by a woman's anarchist group. Maria joins the group and eventually goes to the front. The women's group faces the problems of fighting not only the nationalists, but also factions on the left seeking to impose a more traditional military structure. Written by Brian Rawnsley
A demented nun sliding through morphine addiction into madness, whilst presiding over a regime of lesbianism, torture and death. Sister Gertrude is the head nurse/nun in a general hospital, whose increasingly psychotic behavior endangers the staff and patients around her.
Poland, 1962. Anna is a novice, an orphan brought up by nuns in a convent. Before she takes her vows, she is determined to see Wanda, her only living relative. Wanda tells Anna that Anna is Jewish. Both women embark on a journey not only to discover their tragic family story, but who they really are and where they belong, questioning their religions and beliefs.
The vows of an ambitious young American priest are tested during World War II. Not only does Father John Flaherty get involved with the black market to raise money for the Vatican, he also falls in love with a young French nun.
When a dead newborn is found, wrapped in bloody sheets, in the bedroom wastebasket of a young novitiate, psychiatrist Martha Livingston is called in to determine if the seemingly innocent novice, who knows nothing of sex or birth, is competent enough to stand trial for the murder of the baby.
The nuns of a musical convent work hard in order to prevent the religious school from closing.
A priest is sent to a small parish in the Polish countryside which is believed to be under demonic possession and there he finds his own temptations awaiting.
A well-bred, lovely, spiritual, sad young woman marries an attentive physician who loves her. She feels affection but no love. Soon after, without design, she falls in love with Pedro Abrunhosa, a poet and performance artist. He also loves her. She keeps her distance from him, confessing her love to a friend who is a nun and, later, to her husband. Hunger for her love and jealousy consume him; she attends him as he wastes away. With his death, she can marry and express her passion, but what she does and how she explains herself, particularly to her cloistered friend, is at the heart of the film. Glimpses of convent life and of Abrunhosa on stage give contrast and mute comment.
In wartime Italy nuns in a convent regularly smuggle Jewish children out of a nearby internment camp. The Italian army officer in charge suspects what may be going on but deliberately turns a blind eye. When the Germans take over the camp security the nuns' activities become far more dangerous.
In full French Revolution, the young Blanche de la Force decides to protect a convent and so entered the Carmelite order. She meets the cheerful nun Sister Constance and mother Marie, among others, and is happy with them despite the external conflicts and pressures of his father to leave the convent. Film based on real and tragic story from the sixteen Carmelite nuns in the convent of Compiègne in 1794, and collected by the French writer Georges Bernanos in his play of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the piece "The Last of the scaffold" the writer Gertrud von Le Fort.
A young French actress in Lisbon to shoot a movie is intrigued by a nun she sees kneeling in the chapel where she is filming.
Hildegard von Bingen was truly a woman ahead of her time. A visionary in every sense of the word, this famed 12th-century Benedictine nun was a Christian mystic, composer, philosopher, playwright, poet, naturalist, scientist, physician, herbalist and ecological activist.

© Valossa 2015–2024