Double Platinum

I must admit, I am not a big fan of movies that have been made for TV, but Double Platinum surprised me - it is definitely the only made-for-TV movie that, in my opinion, is worth watching.

The movie focuses around the two main characters Olivia King (played by Diana Ross) and Kayla Harris (played by Brandy) and their struggles as they try to reignite the mother-daughter relationship that was non-existent for 18 years between the two.

Olivia, a struggling club singer in St Louis, is offered the opportunity to go to New York in order to pursue her dream of becoming a famous singer. However, in order for her to do this, she has to leave her baby daughter Kayla behind.

Eighteen years later, Kayla wins a contest run by a local radio station to meet her favourite singer Olivia King (whom she doesn't know is her Mum at the time). From there, the story progresses and Olivia helps Kayla, a club singer in St Louis herself (ironically enough), to establish her career as a singer in new York.

This is a truly heart-warming, feel-good movie. By the end of the movie, you will believe that love is all that matters. Watch Double Platinum and you will not be disappointed!

Diana Ross received good notices for her work in Lady Sings the Blues, including approving comments from leading film critic Pauline Kael, and also from noted literary writer James Baldwin, one of the leading African-American writers of the 20th century. She also received an Academy Award nomination for that performance. Her performance as a woman suffering from a severe mental illness in the television film Out of Darkness received very good reviews in 1993, two decades after Lady. Her performance as a woman who sacrifices her family to achieve success as a singing star in Double Platinum was much awaited--Ross should have made many more films than she has and so her performances are highly anticipated. In Double Platinum, she presented a sensitive but determined woman, elegant, self-confident, tormented but disciplined, a believable success, a fascinating but mysterious personality. The film was not deep--it told us nothing we did not already know about family or success, but both Ross and Brandy had good singing and acting moments, doing the kind of work people who get more attention from the media--cover stories, award nominations--would be glad to do. Just as Ross had much success in the past, she now seems to have to fight a great deal of negative assumptions, an odd karmic reversal.

R'N'B diva and 'Moesha' star Brandy plays up-and-coming singing sensation Karla in this dramatic musical. Great songs (mostly from Brandy's 'Never Say Never' album) on here, Brandy is brilliant, Diana Ross who plays Karla's mother is great also. The story itself is about Karla's rise to fame, her mother who adopted her, was also a singing great of her time and apart from her career, the story is about the relationship (however rocky) between the two. A good concept with good acting, but there's something lacking here, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Oh well, it is still a bit of fun for all the r'n'b (and Brandy) lovers out there!

Overall, it was a well told story. True, it's been done before (what story hasn't), but I still liked this spin on it. As Diana Ross wanted, we could all see she still looks wonderful, even though she has 5 grown kids. I had to laugh at the artfully placed ferns in the shower scene, though. The biggest negative was that Brandy was crying her eyes out every other scene. I felt like it detracted from the story by the end of the movie.

I have nothing but good things to say about this mother/daughter film. Diana Ross is a famous diva who leaves her baby daughter behind with her husband for a promising music gig. Eighteen years later, she arranges to meet up with her 18-year-old (Brandy, in a fine performance) who wants to be a singer as well. To make up for lost time, the mother tries to give her daughter a boost in her career. Brandy only performs two songs ("Almost Doesn't Count" and "Have You Ever?") from her album, Never Say Never. Brandy, you deserve plenty of credit for this movie. My evaluation: A