Sparkle

This movie is a true classic. Very well done for the times and way better than the re-done version done 2012.

The movie has that special something that I didn't get with the more recent version. It was also more realistic.

The music soundtrack is awesome!

I saw this movie more than once and each time it seems to get better and better. The movie gets a hold of you from the beginning and if you enjoy a great storyline then it doesn't let you go so easily. Yes it may be a rags to riches story but, it's a good one if I might add. I love Irene Cara and the soft yet strong part she plays to "Sister" Lonette McKee and she herself delivers a great performance. Urban,Gritty,Ghetto story of teenagers in 1950's NY with huge dreams of making it big for a better life for themselves is Awesome!!!! Although they lose one or two of the group members along the way it all comes down to PERSERVEARANCE being key. I'll buy it and watch it again & again!

After several years of reading about this musical film, I finally watched Sparkle on Netflix Streaming. It's about a trio of Harlem sisters consisting of Lonette McKee (Sister), Dwan Smith (Dolores), and Irene Cara (Sparkle). Philip Michael Thomas also appears as Stix who's originally one of two male members of the group before becoming the groups' manager later on. And Mary Alice plays their mother Effie. The original songs are by Curtis Mayfield who was from Chicago of which I'm also a native of. The presentations of the performances are very good especially when Ms. McKee or later Ms. Cara are showcased in their close-ups. It was also a nice treat to see Don Bexley-best known to me and others as Bubba on "Sandford and Son"-as one of the M.C.'s. The drama was maybe a little too quick the way they were presented but overall, I very much liked Sparkle. P.S. When I read the obits of Whitney Houston yesterday and found out about her involvement in an upcoming remake with Jordin Sparks as the title character and Ms. Houston as the mother, my heart broke when I realized she wouldn't live to see the result which will be released this August. So it's in her memory I dedicate this review.

I watched this movie every chance I got, back in the Seventies when it came out on cable. It was my introduction to Harlem, which has fascinated me (and Bill Clinton) ever since. I was still very young, and the movie made a big impression on me. It was great to see a movie about other young girls growing up, trying to decide whom they wanted to be, and making some bad choices as well as good ones. I was dazzled by Lonette McKee's beauty, the great dresses they eventually got to wear, and the snappy dialogue. As someone being raised by a single mother as well, I could really identify with these girls and their lives. It's funny, these characters seem almost more real to me than Beyonce Knowles!

Black sibling soul group in 1950's New York hits it big, but big sister Lonette McKee begins to spiral downward with booze and drugs, putting the group's reputation on the line. Well-made, but awfully thin little drama with a fine Curtis Mayfield musical score but not enough drama to involve a wide audience. Certainly begins well but quickly loses steam. McKee is the acting stand-out here, but her character's descent into the blues comes awfully fast. Result is a picture that plays its best cards too soon, leaving a lot of dead space in the second-half. Some enjoyable moments, evocative cinematography and art direction, but a lot of show-biz clichés. ** from ****