![]() Still, SPARKLE is a good little musical that's worth seeing and especially if you enjoy the music of the period. Joel Schumacher wrote the screenplay and does a pretty nice job with the story even though there's no doubt that it's a tad bit too simple and I'd also argue that it could have avoided the blaxploitation notion that all white people are evil and just out to do bad things (the money lenders in this film). You really do feel as if you're in the 1950s and that certainly helps the movie. Starring late pop superstar Whitney Houston (in her final film) and former American Idol champion Jordin Sparks, the period showbiz drama will appeal to both young Idol and older Houston fans. Director Sam O'Steen does a very good job with the details of the era and I thought he managed to make the scenery very realistic. Parents need to know that Sparkle is a remake of a '70s melodrama about the many travails that face those who seek fame and fortune in the music industry. Lonette McKee is also good as the older sister who gets mixed up in the drugs. Another good performance comes from Philip Michael Thomas as the man in her life trying to make her see how special of a talent she has. From the very first time you see Cara she just grabs you up and takes you along on this journey. Another major plus is the performance of Cara who easily steals the film. The songs really capture the mood and spirit of R&B during this period and while none of the songs can compare to the real hits of the day, I think each of them are good enough to at least help draw you into the story. I think the most attractive thing the film has going for it are the songs composed by Curtis Mayfield. Based on the story of The Supremes, SPARKLE is a pretty entertaining gem that manages to get you caught up in the story even though there's no question it's all rather predictable and at times too cute for its own good. And Sparkle as a solo act (with backup singers, a gospel choir and a full pit orchestra) brings down the house.Sparkle (1976) *** (out of 4) Set in Brooklyn during the 1950s, the story revolves around Sparkle (Irene Cara), a talented teenager who joins a band with her two sisters but things start to unravel when the older sister gets involved with drugs. "Sister and Her Sisters," the original trio, come across as a gifted American Idol version of Diana Ross and the Supremes, which I think is the idea. The basic purpose of the film is to fit the story into wall-to-wall music, and it does that with style and energy. I won't say more about Satin, except that the character inspires a prison sentence that is treated by the film with curious superficiality. The most electrifying scenes involve the destructive comedian Satin, a local celebrity, who finds Sister in love with the sincere young man Levi ( Omari Hardwick), humiliates him, sweeps her up, gives her a diamond and in what seems like days is knocking her around and has her addicted to cocaine. The screenplay by Mara Brock Akil, inspired by Joel Schumacher's original for the (lesser) 1976 movie "Sparkle," follows well-worn showbiz patterns as the girls go from rags to riches to tragedy to comeback. ![]() ![]() We are meant to believe these early steps in their career were made possible when they sneaked out of their bedroom windows at night apparently Emma had no hint of their subterfuge. That comes after the three girls have taken the first steps in a musical career masterminded by a nice guy named Stix ( Derek Luke), who meets Sparkle at church, falls in love, and produces their first shows. ![]() Carmen Ejogo, who you may recall as Thomas Jefferson's lover in the TV series "Sally Hemmings," steals the film not only in her sultry singing numbers but in her violent marriage to a snaky, evil comedian named Satin ( Mike Epps). She lives and breathes music and fills notebooks with her songs but doesn't have the courage to face the spotlight as the movie opens she's backstage urging Sister to solo, which Sister, after a show of reluctance, does - sensationally. The shy sweetheart is Sparkle, played by the perfectly named American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. The most serious is college student Dee ( Tika Sumpter), apparently the first woman they've ever seen who wears an Afro. The most fragrant flower in the bouquet is slinky, sexy Sister ( Carmen Ejogo).
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