Holy Days Review: Klutzy Convent Caper

Three great lead actresses and moments of emotion can’t save Holy Days from its broader comedy impulses.

Holy Days shouldn’t feel small when it has three big hitters on its call sheet. New Zealand, 1974: a run-down convent on the North Island is threatened with closure by developers, and the three remaining nuns are determined to stay. Sr. Agnes (Judy Davis, sporting a decent Irish accent) is disgusted by the lack of acknowledgement for her Order’s commitment to their flock, while Sr. Mary Clare (Jacki Weaver) is too timid to put up much of a fight. Meanwhile, Sr. Luke (Miriam Margolyes) tends to her garden while suffering the obvious onset of dementia.

The casting of these roles indicates what Boltt is aiming for; the actresses come with acclaim, awards and even ‘national treasure’ status. Holy Days is lighter than their usual fare, but it allows them to have fun while bouncing off each other. Before the film starts, you know that Margolyes will say something inappropriate, Weaver will stare agog in shock, and Davis will admonish them both. There are few surprises in Holy Days’ core dynamic; it does what it says on the tin.

The necessary wild card in the equation is Brian (Elijah Tamati), a young local boy who’s mourning his recently deceased mother. The first mention of a bereavement plot should induce shudders; the early moments of Holy Days make it clear that this is a broad comedy centred on old ladies saying and doing things they probably shouldn’t. The biggest surprise in the film (and there aren’t many) is that it handles its harder emotions with a deftness that’s lacking from its attempts to tickle the ribs. The bereavement storyline saves Brian from becoming an annoying sidekick, and puts him at the core of the action. Young Tamati makes his onscreen feature debut by going through the comedic motions before unveiling remarkable depth in the pauses for drama. A child crying with conviction can break the toughest hearts, and Tamati seizes a few occasions to do so here.

Alongside the nuns being threatened with eviction, Brian is furious that his widower father (Craig Hall) is getting remarried (The prospective bride is played by Boltt herself, inviting audience ire before they fully make up their mind on the film). The nuns must visit their lawyer on the South Island for the deeds to the convent, and need someone with more energy to help them out. Brian needs an escape, and comes along as their chaperone.

As clashes of personalities go, Sister Act this ain’t. When Whoopi Goldberg pretended to be a nun to escape the mafia, there were stakes and friction with the other nuns, from which the comedy offered blessed relief. In Holy Days, proceedings are played with a broadness that borders on child-friendly. With a nominal time limit within which to get the deeds, the nuns and Brian rattle down the road in an episodic jaunt that hits many of the expected stops. There are overnight stays in a shared bed, animals causing traffic jams, and an all-encompassing dance number; the early 1990s want their comedy setups back.

The laughs are often forced, with car chases and mad rushes all designed to send the leads tumbling about their car like clothes on a spin cycle. It all dashes by so quickly that the film can ill-afford the time to let the viewer enjoy the Kiwi countryside. When the movie does pause for a moment to allow the characters to reckon with their changing circumstances, it shines brightest. Boltt is committed to retaining the lightness of Joy Cowley’s source novel, but there are numerous opportunities for drama to be mined, and it’s a pity Boltt often avoids doing so.

It could have taken sharper aim at the greedy priest (Jonny Brugh) and bishop (John Bach) seeking to evict the nuns, but anything that could have been interpreted as criticism of the Church would likely have been beyond Holy Days’ paygrade. At the end of the day, it’s a film in which Miriam Margolyes plays a nun that likes to say “Rumpy-pumpy!”. Holy Days was never designed to be challenging, but when it dares to go in that direction, the film hints at being more interesting than the mild diversion with which we’ve ended up.

Holy Days will be released in US and Canadian theatres on March 27, 2026.