Sparkle: La Gran Estrella

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.

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 (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.

Jordan Sparks had a real shot at stardom. She is tall, beautiful and talented. Unfortunately, instead of following her father's direction, she chose to chase that no talent slob, Jason Derulo. This movie should not have been made. Poor writing. It took a purely sweet coming of age story and made it taudry. Sister was a beautiful young woman who had no idea how she could turn men on their heads. In this remake, she is overtly sexual to sell her singing group! WHY? When the original Sparkle was released, I was a teenager. This movie was so uplifting. It showed the truth about a little fame on the poor. Drug addiction, loan sharks, alcoholism. In the end, Sparkle and Stick make it because they believed in one another. Please stop ruining our past! Trash this version. Just stick to the original Sparkle and you'll be fine.

I have to say that I liked this version of Sparkle better than the original and I am definitely glad that they changed the story up a bit. This film is very predictable, but I did not care. I think that the cast that was assembled for this film did an excellent job. I have to admit that my main reason for going to see this film was because I wanted to see Whitney Houston in her swan song performance. Whitney (Emma) did an outstanding job in this film and I have to admit that when she sang I got a little (okay, a lot) choked up. Not just because she was singing but because I realized how much I missed her. Jordan Sparks (Sparkle) was made for this role. With this being her film debut, I am sure that we will be seeing a lot more of Jordan on screen. Carmen Ejogo (Sister) almost stole the show along with Mike Epps (Satin). Both were captivating and although you knew from the start where this relationship was heading, it did not matter because you wanted to see it play out. When Michael Beach (Rev. Bryce) hit the screen, I was looking at him and I knew that I had seen him on screen before, but I just could not place him. Whoever did his make-up did a darn good job. Tika Sumpter (Dolores) has come a long way since her days on the television soap One Life to Live. She is the "grounded" sister of the bunch and demonstrates that by having clear goals set and a strong sense of self. Derek Luke (Stix) is the group's manager and Sparkle's love interest who is just trying to do the right thing. I do have to say that there were some faux pas in the film. There were times that the group was singing without mikes and the half-naked dress would have never been acceptable during that time (I don't think). By the way, there was a women sitting in my row that was singing along with all the songs that she remembered (I was cracking up). Do I think that this will be the film of the year? No, but I do think that Director Salim Akil did a good enough job to warrant the price of a ticket. One last thing, I also got choked up again when Jordan sang at the conclusion of the film. I will be downloading that one. I give this film green light.