Sparkle
1.5/4
Starring: Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Carmen Ejogo, Mike Epps, Whitney Houston, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick
Rated PG-13 for Mature Thematic Content involving Domestic Abuse and Drug Material, and for Some Violence, Language and Smoking
Showbiz dramas will never cease to compel for many reasons, mainly because they allow a character the audience sympathizes with to achieve fame and fortune, and because they appeal to our creative nature. Unfortunately, Salim Akil's remake of the 1976 film is not only completely generic, it's also a tedious mess.
Sparkle (Sparks) is a talented singer and songwriter. She's constantly writing and performing music, and hopes to one day become a star. In order to make that happen, she enlists her two sisters, Sister (Ejogo) and Dee (Sumpter) to form a girl group. They find some success, and while on their way to the top, circumstances cause their close relationship to fray, and their shot at getting a record deal may fizzle up before they get the chance that they've been waiting for.
It would be bad enough to have a script that is schizophrenic in nature, but "Sparkle" fares worse because the story and the characters are lifeless. Did I care about the sisters' romantic melodramas? No, and I didn't care if they made it to the big time either. Handled better, this film could have worked because it's easy to believe that what happens to the trio happens to would-be starlets all the time. But the direction by Salim Akil is pedestrian, and the actors fail to truly bring their characters to life.
"American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks plays the title character with energy and enthusiasm, but I found it incredibly difficult to care about her. It's debatable whether or not she has any acting chops (we'll have to see how she does with a better script and a stronger director), but here, she doesn't connect with the viewer. Carmen Ejogo, who plays her sister Sister, is better. Mike Epps, an actor who is mainly known as a comedian, is solid in the role of Sister's abusive husband Satin (everyone seems to have a weird nickname in this movie). He's believable. The shining star of the film is the late Whitney Houston, who plays the deeply conservative mother of the trio. She tried, and failed, to make it as a singer, and that's why she's vehemently against her daughters trying to do the same. It's a shame that the movie is the Hollywood epitaph for Houston, but if it's any consolation, she's the best thing in it.
While it would be unfair to blame the film's borderline-incoherent narrative solely on Salim Akil, he's not blameless either. Akil is in over his head; he fails to bring any life to his characters and the whole thing lacks narrative momentum. "Sparkle" is essentially a series of scenes that sometimes follow what appears to be a plot. But there are annoying shifts in the timeline and one obvious continuity gaffe. That stuff is unacceptable for a film that wants to be taken seriously.
At least there's some good music to alleviate the tedium. I mean, as a musical lover, I find that this has always been the saving grace for many a failed production. Like "Joyful Noise." Nope. The songs are as generic and uninspired as the rest of the film. What's more, they sound modern and completely different from the music Motown inspired, despite the fact that that is where the film is set.
The bottom line is to avoid this stinker. Even Whitney Houston die-hards desperate to capture one last glimpse of the beloved singer should stay away.
Starring: Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Carmen Ejogo, Mike Epps, Whitney Houston, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick
Rated PG-13 for Mature Thematic Content involving Domestic Abuse and Drug Material, and for Some Violence, Language and Smoking
Showbiz dramas will never cease to compel for many reasons, mainly because they allow a character the audience sympathizes with to achieve fame and fortune, and because they appeal to our creative nature. Unfortunately, Salim Akil's remake of the 1976 film is not only completely generic, it's also a tedious mess.
Sparkle (Sparks) is a talented singer and songwriter. She's constantly writing and performing music, and hopes to one day become a star. In order to make that happen, she enlists her two sisters, Sister (Ejogo) and Dee (Sumpter) to form a girl group. They find some success, and while on their way to the top, circumstances cause their close relationship to fray, and their shot at getting a record deal may fizzle up before they get the chance that they've been waiting for.
It would be bad enough to have a script that is schizophrenic in nature, but "Sparkle" fares worse because the story and the characters are lifeless. Did I care about the sisters' romantic melodramas? No, and I didn't care if they made it to the big time either. Handled better, this film could have worked because it's easy to believe that what happens to the trio happens to would-be starlets all the time. But the direction by Salim Akil is pedestrian, and the actors fail to truly bring their characters to life.
"American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks plays the title character with energy and enthusiasm, but I found it incredibly difficult to care about her. It's debatable whether or not she has any acting chops (we'll have to see how she does with a better script and a stronger director), but here, she doesn't connect with the viewer. Carmen Ejogo, who plays her sister Sister, is better. Mike Epps, an actor who is mainly known as a comedian, is solid in the role of Sister's abusive husband Satin (everyone seems to have a weird nickname in this movie). He's believable. The shining star of the film is the late Whitney Houston, who plays the deeply conservative mother of the trio. She tried, and failed, to make it as a singer, and that's why she's vehemently against her daughters trying to do the same. It's a shame that the movie is the Hollywood epitaph for Houston, but if it's any consolation, she's the best thing in it.
While it would be unfair to blame the film's borderline-incoherent narrative solely on Salim Akil, he's not blameless either. Akil is in over his head; he fails to bring any life to his characters and the whole thing lacks narrative momentum. "Sparkle" is essentially a series of scenes that sometimes follow what appears to be a plot. But there are annoying shifts in the timeline and one obvious continuity gaffe. That stuff is unacceptable for a film that wants to be taken seriously.
At least there's some good music to alleviate the tedium. I mean, as a musical lover, I find that this has always been the saving grace for many a failed production. Like "Joyful Noise." Nope. The songs are as generic and uninspired as the rest of the film. What's more, they sound modern and completely different from the music Motown inspired, despite the fact that that is where the film is set.
The bottom line is to avoid this stinker. Even Whitney Houston die-hards desperate to capture one last glimpse of the beloved singer should stay away.
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