Sister Mary Explains It All

Sister Mary Explains It All is a 2001 satirical dark comedy film written by Christopher Durang and directed by Marshall Brickman. The film, based upon Durang's 1979 play Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, and starring Diane Keaton in the title role, premiered on the Showtime network. The project was filmed in Toronto in association with Columbia TriStar Television. The theme was originally covered in Christopher Durang 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 to protest its broadcast. William A. Donohue, the president of the Catholic League, called for a boycott of Viacom, Showtime's parent company.
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