Sparkle (2012)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Powerful

hyped garbage

Fresh and Exciting

There's an indisputable star of this synthetically watchable 2012 melodrama, and it's neither the late Whitney Houston in her last role nor Season 6 "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks. It's relatively unknown British actress Carmen Ejogo (Maya Rudolph's sister in "Away We Go") who explodes off the screen in the meaty, scene-stealing role of Sister, the hell-raising eldest of a trio of daughters to Emma Anderson, an uptight, church-going woman who raised them on her own. Emma is Houston's supporting role, and while she proves she had the makings of a solid character actress, there is an unfortunate shroud of irony in her presence given her own tragic, tabloid-saturated life was itself a cautionary tale about the lure of drugs in show business. This time in the part Lonette McKee played superbly in the 1976 original, Ejogo inhabits the character living out the nightmare of drug addiction and spousal abuse.The rest of the movie is mostly by the numbers. It opens in 1968, a decade later than the original movie's story, with Sister and her little sister Sparkle sneaking out to a nightclub headlined by a period- costumed Cee Lo Green in a cameo appearance. Sister vamps her way through an original song by Sparkle, which attracts the attention of an aspiring record producer named Stix. He encourages them to shoot for the big time, so they convince level-headed sister Dee to make it a trio decked out sequins, wigs and false eyelashes in order to become the next Supremes. What struck me is how eerily the three women look like the original Supremes line-up with Sparks resembling Florence Ballard and Ejogo looking like a sultry cross between Diana Ross and Beyoncé. Of course, their newfound success comes with heartache, as Sister takes up with a smooth albeit vicious stand-up comic named Satin, and Sparkle struggles between family devotion and her burgeoning love for Stix.Naturally Emma is constantly worried that her girls will repeat the same mistakes she made when she tried to make it as a singer only to be spit out by the music industry. That means Houston spends most of her limited screen time either fretting about her family or being self-righteous about her religious convictions. The dinner table scene between her and Ejogo is the movie's best scene laying bare the deep-seeded resentment Sister has for her mother and providing a flash of grief over a line that reminds you how Houston died. The melodrama is laid on pretty thick, especially during Sister's downward spiral, but director Salim Akil ("Jumping the Broom") and his wife, screenwriter Mara Brock Akil, balance it with just enough lighter moments. The songs, of course, are what matters the most, and smartly, Curtis Mayfield's original compositions have been retained with the standouts being "Hooked on Your Love", "Look into Your Heart" and especially "Something He Can Feel" which Ejogo performs with sultry conviction.The new songs by R. Kelly are not nearly as memorable since they sound too contemporary for the period. Sadly, Houston sings only once in character, the spiritual stand-by, "His Eye Is on the Sparrow", and limited to her lower register, her coarsened voice, while emotionally impactful, is vocally a mere shadow of her once-beautiful pipes. Sparks gets to sing a lot more with a predictably booming voice, and she delivers an unaffected turn in the title role. Mike Epps gives a strong performance as Satin, and his scenes with Ejogo echo similarly volatile scenes in "What's Love Got to Do with It?" As Stix, Derek Luke does much better work than Philip-Michael Thomas in the original. Tika Sumpter provides some memorably defiant moments as Dee, the one sister who could take or leave the music. The movie runs too long at 116 minutes, but between Houston's death and Ejogo's star-making turn, it takes on a greater depth than the musical nostalgic trip it was originally designed to be.

*Spoiler/plot- Sparkle, 2012, A black-single mom's three talented daughters get their 'singing' break in a Detriot neighborhood contest and then major problems occur.*Special Stars- Whitney Huston, Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Mike Epps, Carmen Ejogo, Tike Sumpter.*Theme- Fame for fame sake is destructive without family love and understanding.*Trivia/location/goofs- Whitney Huston's LAST role and performance. She produced this film.*Emotion- A dramatic and interesting film about the highs and lows of the music business. A deeply ironic film knowing about Ms. Huston's sad final fate. A personal slice of life for many in the production and their audience viewers.

Sparkle is a musical drama starring former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. The plot, centered in Detroit of the late 1960s, focuses on a tight-knit family of young women who form a pop vocal group and pursue music-business fame, all while trying to avoid the wrath of their mother. The late Whitney Houston portrays Emma, the family matriarch.Boutique manager Emma keeps her girls on a short leash. 19-year-old Sparkle dutifully keeps a job in the same store as Emma, and she participates in choir with older sister Dee (Tika Sumpter), a medical school candidate. Eldest sister Sister/Tammi (Carmen Ejogo) is recently returned from a reportedly unsuccessful stint in New York City. Sparkle composes secular songs in secret, and lately has been sneaking out to nightclubs where the outgoing Sister performs the material to excited crowds.Stix (Derek Luke), an aspiring music executive, sees both of them at the club and at church. He convinces the sisters to make a run for the big time, with him as manager. Soon, the trio of 'Sister and her Sisters' becomes a prominent local act, gaining the attention of major music labels. Meanwhile, Stix and Sparkle (whose shyness belies her own singing talent) become smitten with one another.Mike Epps convincingly plays the devious Satin: a "crossover" standup comedian who desperately wants to rebuild a rapport with African American audiences. His smooth ways—and apparent affluence—quickly win him over with Sister, but his doping and physical abuse figure to derail everyone's goals. Ejogo, easily the dramatic anchor of the film, is a revelation as Sister: a worldly and blunt counterpoint to the innocence of Sparkle, she carries the most resentment against Emma, and suffers the most by narrative's end.Houston has, in some sense, a thankless role here. Emma's stern church-lady clichés dominate her character's arc. Houston plays her as devoutly religious but visibly world-weary; the plot hints at—but never fully reveals—Emma's stunted singing career, and the film suffers for it. The audience is expected to fill in the blanks on why she's bitter. Several lines of dialogue and plot points inadvertently have an eerie ring to them in light of Houston's untimely death.The film is a remake of the 1976 original which has since gained an enduring cult status. Lead producer Bishop T.D. Jakes, co-writer Mara Brock-Akil and director Salim Akil infuse the film with standard gospel-play themes of temptation, falling from grace, forgiveness and redemption. Whether familiar with the original or not, viewers shouldn't be disappointed.

I love (d) the original...it is dated, but took on some truthful subjects of the times.I also ADORE the re-make for showing a different dynamic from the "Dream Girl" franchise and really fleshing out the relationships. The film is so explosive and wonderful (in talking about the dynamics of sisters that if you know the 1st film, you re happy at the growth! There is even an addressing of changing times (68 riots in Detroit and Motowns' change) which is awesome, AND...the constance reference of ARETHA FRANKLIN-YES!!!!! If you know the back story...Aretha was supposed to be Sparkle in the orig. but I think they thought she was too chubby and took Irene, but kept her soundtrack because of her powerhouse voice. So I was very happy for the constance mention.The performers...Jordan is just as sweet and innocent as Irene, both simple, I believed her more actually. Carmen lives up to "Sister" and owns it-Well done! Amazing performance Tika bring the savvy and spirit of Marvin Gaye-Revolution!!!Whitney...My heart still cannot handle her rendition of "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" but if ever there was a swan song...this was it in such a chilling yet beautiful way.It's a solid film. You'll get this if you've seen the original then this and take from it (as I ) a heart-felt re-envisioning of a tragic yet beautiful story of family.I Loved!!!!