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Review

A decidedly absurd, super-low-budget comedy/thriller hybrid, Sister Mary uses satire and broad gay stereotypes to skewer Catholicism and the conventions of the “buddy cop movie” in one fell swoop.

Homicide detective Mark Rima (James Vallo) is about as homophobic as they get (the gentleman doth protest too much, methinks). Much to his discomfort, Rima’s shockingly laid-back, soap opera-obsessed Chief (Matthew Feeney) sets him up with Detective Chris Riant (Shawn Quinlan), the most flamboyantly gay partner imaginable. The two have been paired together to solve a new series of murders. It seems that someone, dressed as a nun, is killing off the members of a shirtless (and sacrilegious) gay boy-band called “The Ex-Choir Boys.” Rima and Riant must put aside their differences in an effort to save the young and adorable remaining members of the band – one of whom sees through Rima’s anti-gay attitude and takes a special interest in the older, curmudgeonly cop.

With some genuinely hilarious moments and exciting cameos from Ant, Judy Tenuta, Bruce Vilanch and Sean Paul Lockhart (as a sex addict who just can’t seem to keep his clothes on during confession), Sister Mary is not without its charms. It seems, though, that due to budget constraints, the filmmakers may not have been able to realize the extent of their lofty ambitions. Though filmmaker Scott Grenke has a clever premise, the film lacks the capital to create the tropes of the action/thriller buddy cop genre it parodies – and some of the procedural scenes (less comical than others) suffer as a result. It’s still an interesting effort and worth a watch for the laughs that it provides.

 -- Robert O'Neill