Sparkle

I watched this film because my wife put it in the queue. My thought was - oh well - another chick flick - with singing - this is going to hurt. And yes - it was a chick flick with singing - but I enjoyed this one. The stage performances by the character Sister probably helped - but I also thought the film was generally well done. Considering her age and experience - Jordin Sparks did a fantastic job. Her performance at the end was masterful. So I was surprised (again) when I came onto IMDb to see some details and saw that it was rated a lowly 4.9. After reading a few reviews I noticed that many of the people giving lower ratings were comparing this film with an earlier version. That almost always results in a low opinion of the later version. I am an "old white guy" so I did not see the earlier version. I thought this was good. I gave it a 7.

Before I begin reviewing the movie, I just want to say first that if you haven't seen the original or didn't even know that there was an original, you might not enjoy this movie as much as someone who respects it's classic status in black cinema. I actually thought that this movie was going to be terrible. I kept telling my roommate and best friend that I'm not excited and might just watch it on bootleg and if I do go to see it it will only be for the late and legendary Whitney Houston. But thankfully I was invited on a date, so I was relieved that I didn't have to pay for this terrible, terrible film. But to my surprise, I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

As an upcoming writer and film school graduate, there are things about this film that I can truly appreciate more than the average movie goer, like the costumes, the set design, the hair, the locations, and most definitely the script. It was solid. For this to be Mara Brock Akil and her husband's very first feature film together, the script was very well written. It had a lot of memorable one liners and great comebacks. Also, the writer put a few spins on the story that worked very well as an adaption.

Jordin Sparks did very well as Sparkle. I don't think the character was a stretch for her because she's sweet and shy in real life but for this to be her first film she did great. Mike Epps as Satin was a surprise to me. He's usually the smart mouthed side kick in stereotypical black films but his personality played well with his character. Derek Luke was solid and Tika Sumpter was awesome. In the original, Sumpter's character didn't really have much of a story but I appreciated the fact that the writer's gave her a backstory. Whitney Houston did phenomenal as the mother. Her vibrant personality is totally opposite of the film's character who was depressed, unhappy and sort of narrow minded. But the star of the evening was definitely Carmen Ejogo as Sparkle's older and sexy sister, Sister. She stole the show. I had never heard of her until this movie but she was awesome. While the acting wasn't Oscar worthy everybody did a solid job.

The original definitely had its flaws. There were holes in the story and unanswered question but I feel as all movies back in the day were still finding their proper structure. But this adaption definitely left me satisfied. There was more character development, more backstory and since the the movie is about family the bond between all three sisters s what made me love this movie even more. You can tell that they all loved each other and would had each other's backs no matter what.

I'm happy that the original music was in this film along with new ones. The vocals were good but of course Whitney Houston dominated in that department being that she is one of the greatest voices to ever walk this Earth.

Overall, Sparkle was a solid movie. Very enjoyable family film. I have a feeling that a lot of people are gonna love this movie, a lot of people are think it's okay and a lot of people are going to hate it. But these types of movies aren't meant for everyone's enjoyment, only those who understand and appreciate this type of story. I recommend it for all who know the original, all who love good music and all who love Whitney.

I absolutely loved this movie. All the actors did a great job. What a great way for Whitney to end her career with a such a beautiful project. She did a wonderful job. The story has a lot of differences from the original, but I loved these changes. I actually think this movie is superior to the original in many ways. The highlight for me was to see Whitney singing her gospel song, probably the best song performance ever captured in a movie. I read some people complain that the movie is different from the original, and I ask everyone what would be the point to copy the first movie? It would be boring. I actually find the remake more satisfying. In the first movie, the roles of the mother and also Dolores were almost non-existent, also the lighting and editing were bad. Also it was a very sad film, and while in the remake they still have sadness, it's actually more uplifting. This movie improves on everything. I'm actually planning on seeing it again.

Sparkle is a low rent version of Dreamgirls so to speak a remake of an unremarkable film form the 70s is a bad film make no mistake about it. The direction is very amateur, the cinematography is crap and the performances are mostly questionable but the film has its charms as well as it's good moments. And although the film is way melodramatic and unintentionally funny at parts it still manages to be entertaining and consistently engaging. The film centers on a trio of sisters in a band called well "Sisters" lol. The plotting movers along expectedly as they have a minor rise to fame while dealing with their overprotective mother, love, drugs, sex and domestic abuse. But the film also delves a little deeper into the intricate relationships between them due most to the solid performance from Carmen Ejogo as Sister she's sultry and seemingly self centered but underneath that she's extremely protective of her sisters she basically raised as her mother had problems. Because of that her position in the group and her family is a difficult, multi layered one and the best exploration is done there. Everything else feels a little forced and flimsy. I don't wanna be to hard on the film because for the most part I enjoyed it and maybe thats because I enjoy lifetime movies. It has it's good moments and it's bad and the best I can say about Whitney Houston's involvement in the film is that she was a very talented woman earlier on in her career and I hope she's at peace now. Although a mixed bag there is enough here to merit a recommendation if this type of melodramatic, musical period piece appeals to you. I'd also like to say that even though the film is set in the past it never feels that way. The consistency is off as well as the logic and it feels very modern with some retro costumes. The film doesn't much sparkle as have a dull shine. 3/5

Sparkle (2012)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Remake of the 1976 film about sisters Sparkle (Jordin Sparks), Sister (Carmen Ejogo) and Dolores (Tika Sumpter) who decide to try and make it in the music business even though their mother (Whitney Houston) objects to them doing so after her life was ruined by an attempt. The original movie was quite predictable but it was still very much worth watching because of the performances and the music. I'm really not sure why we needed a remake and especially since this one here takes place in the 1960s just like the previous ones. Either way, for the most part this is a mildly entertaining film but there's still no question that it falls short of the original. There are actually quite a few things that do work here including the performances but especially Ejogo as the troubled sister whose decisions are going to cost her and her sisters. I thought she was incredibly believable throughout the picture no matter what the story was calling for. It could be for sexiness in the music or the downfall of the drug addiction. This here was actually the first time I had seen Sparks in anything and I thought she was fine in the role, although, like the original, her character is pretty much in the background. As for Houston, she's not too bad in the film but I must admit that I think her death somewhat hurt the movie, which is strange to say because I doubt anyone would have gone to this had it not been her final film. Hearing her character talk about drug abuse, bad choices and other things just makes you think of Houston and her death. This really has a negative impact on the film that it might not have had if the actress didn't die during the post-production. Derek Luke, Mike Epps and Curtis Armstrong are all extremely good in their parts. Another negative thing is that the majority of the music is pretty forgettable with none of the songs really jumping out at you. This includes Houston's one number, which is just pretty weak. Still, SPARKLE manages to have enough in it to make it worth sitting through even if the end result isn't nearly as good as most would have hoped for.