I bring up “American Idol” for a reason, not because Jordan Sparks was the sixth season winner (making comparisons to Academy Award-winning season four also-ran Jennifer Hudson practically inevitable), but because of the way the final concert is shot, executed and staged. Having no apparent meaning, events leading to a foregone conclusion that’s as In the end time, circumstance, character and continuity Slapping the viewer across the face when a subtle caress would have been a heck TheĪkils present this story with a turgid dogmatism that’s close to insulting, continually All of this is present none of it is interesting. The heartbreak and bitter aftertaste ofĭreams left unfulfilled. Much all of this story a billion times before. Themselves into their respective characters’ self-destructive pursuits withĬonviction, making their tragedy to come at least somewhat compelling by their Is acted with passion by Ejogo and Epps, their scenes delivered with anĮlectricity of purpose the majority of the picture sadly lacks. A subplot involving Sister and Satin, while trite and unoriginal, Left me feeling bruised, battered and bludgeoned, and the glorious soundtrackĪside there was hardly a single part of it I ended up enjoying. Of show-stopping musical moments, this is still a nearly two-hour mess that Slog of clichés, facile melodrama and missed opportunities. Mess, the film going the Dreamgirls meets A Star is Born routeīut never in a way that feels fresh or imaginative. Dramatically and structurally, this remake is a Sounds that make the body enthusiastically move and groove even while sitting quietly Musically this was a wise idea, their film filled with pulsating rhythms and In time, setting their story right in the middle of the Motown explosion. (“The Game”) have transported their version of Sparkle even further back ( Jumping the Broom) and his screenwriter wife Mara Brock Akil Musical starring Irene Cara and Philip Michael Thomas, director Salim Akil Stardom before they even achieve liftoff. The potential to bring down the group and destroy Sparkle’s dreams of musical Struthers ( Mike Epps), their abusively destructive relationship having But Sister has also engendered the affections of comedian Satin Young women catching the eye of a Columbia Records executive ( CurtisĪrmstrong). Quickly the trio’s star is on the rise, the MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic content involving domestic abuse and drug material, and for some violence, language and smoking.All three ladies to form a group with Sister as the lead and Sparkle Starring: Jordin Sparks, Whitney Houston, Derek Luke, Mike Epps, Carmen Ejogo, Tamela Mann, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick, Cee Lo Green, Brely Evans, Linda Boston, Michael Beach Sparkle also marks Whitney Houston’s fifth and final feature film role before her death on February 11, 2012, three months after filming ended. This film is the debut of R&B/pop singer and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks as an actress. Sparkle features songs from the original film written by soul musician Curtis Mayfield as well as new compositions by R&B artist R. Kelly. The film stars Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Whitney Houston, Mike Epps, Cee Lo Green, Carmen Ejogo, Tika Sumpter, Tamela Mann and Omari Hardwick. The remake takes place in Detroit, Michigan in 1968 during the Motown era. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a remake of the 1976 film of the same name, which centered on three singing teenage sisters from Harlem who form a girl group in the late 1950s. Sparkle is a 2012 American musical film directed by Salim Akil and produced by Stage 6 Films, It was released on August 17, 2012, by TriStar Pictures. But Sparkle persuades her older sibling Sister (Carmen Ejogo) to sing one of her tunes at a talent show, and the reaction proves that Sister has star quality and Sparkle can write potential hits.Īn ambitious would-be manager, Stix (Derek Luke), persuades Sparkle and Sister to form a singing group with their sibling Dolores (Tika Sumpter), but while the act clicks wit audiences, the sisters have to contend with their angry mother, Sister gets caught up in a destructive relationship with a short-tempered comedian (Mike Epps), and Sparkle finds herself falling in love with Stix. Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) has been blessed with a beautiful voice and a gift for songwriting, but she’s afraid to perform her songs in public, in part because her mother Emma (Whitney Houston), a former entertainer whose career brought her nothing but heartache, refuses to allow her daughters to sing outside of church. A talented young woman is torn between her dreams and her family in this musical.
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