Sparkle

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
Sparkle
Released 8/17/12, now in theaters

Sparkle marks the acting debut of American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks.  It is a remake of the 1976 movie of the same name.  The film also marks Whitney Houston’s final Hollywood feature.  Co-stars Derek Luke, Mike Epps, Cee Lo Green, Omari Hardwick, Carmen Ejogo and Tika Sumpter round out the cast.

Sparkle is set in 1960s Detroit and follows the title character (Sparks) and her siblings, Sister (Ejogo) and Dee (Sumpter).  Sister and Sparkle are first discovered in a club run by Black (Green).  They catch the eye of talent seeker, Stix (Luke).  While Sparkle is the more talented of the two sisters (she writes songs and sings), she is shy and unsure of herself.  Sister has no such hang ups  and knows how to “work it” onstage.  After Sister sings one of Sparkle’s songs onstage at the club, Stix knows he has to be this duo’s manager.  He is told by Black that the sisters have a third sibling that can also sing.  He’s also told about their strict mother, Emma (Houston).  Stix gets closer to Sparkle, partly because he likes the shy girl, and partly to convince the sisters to form a Supremes type group.  But the group has several obstacles to overcome, including their controlling mother, a slimy comedian (Epps) that catches Sister’s eye, and an accidental death that changes everything.

Sparkle is an entertaining enough film, but you get the sense of “been there done that.”  If you’ve seen Dreamgirls, tweak a few details and you have Sparkle.  Jordin Sparks is good in her debut and it should lead to future roles.  There is one thing I will say though.  Whitney Houston sings one solo.  And we have a shell of Whitney.  Granted Whitney bad is probably better than many singers on the planet, but the woman in this movie is not the same as the one that hit that incredible note in “I Will Always Love You.”  The standout of the film is Mike Epps.  His wisecracking, moderately popular national comedian, Satin,  has a smoldering evil streak underneath that jokester veneer.  When he gets what’s due to him, you almost cheer.

Sparkle would be a fine movie to watch on cable and On Demand or rent from Netflix and Redbox, but I don’t think it’s worth beating down your local theater’s doors.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

*** stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.