Sparkle (2007)

Sam is a charming, young chancer who has ambitions in the glamorous world of public relations when he moves to London. However, his best laid plans suffer a real setback when true love turns his world upside down in the most unexpected of circumstances.

Directors:

Tom Hunsinger, Neil Hunter

Writers:

Tom Hunsinger, Neil Hunter

Stars:

Stockard Channing, Shaun Evans, Anthony Head

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stockard Channing	...	Sheila
Shaun Evans	...	Sam
Anthony Head	...	Tony
Bob Hoskins	...	Vince
Lesley Manville	...	Jill
Amanda Ryan	...	Kate
John Shrapnel	...	Bernie
Peter Gordon	...	Ivor
Lorenzo Martelli	...	Rooftop party man
Roy Carruthers	...	Frank
Sophia Dawnay	...	Camilla
Ellie Haddington	...	Frances
David Woodcock	...	Simon
Omar Berdouni	...	Luis
Richard Cant	...	Adrian

Storyline

From the directors of Lawless Heart comes SPARKLE, a hilarious and heart-warming comedy about life, love, and getting ahead in the twenty-first century. Sam Sparkes (Shaun Evans) is a 22 year old with ambitions: move to London and join the glamorous PR world. When Vince (Bob Hoskins) hires Sam as a waiter, he meets his soon-to-be PR boss, Sheila (Stockard Channing). Sensing opportunity, Sam charms himself a job as Sheila's PA...and her lover. But when Sam falls for Kate (Amanda Ryan), he instigates a series of family betrayals and romantic mishaps. As balancing his job and love life becomes overwhelming, unexpected twists and uncovered secrets force Sam to choose between his career and the woman of his dreams.

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Plot Keywords:

one word title

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dugámba dőltem

Filming Locations:

Castletown, Isle of Man

Company Credits

Production Co:

Isle of Man Film Commission, Isle of Man Film, Magic Light Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 100 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally the main character, Sam, was going to be an electrician and that is why the title was Sparkle. (In the UK, a sparky is a nickname for someone in that profession.) However over time the plot developed and Sam's character was just looking for any kind work when he went to London. The producers however still wanted to call the film Sparkle, so had to come up with another reason for that. They gave Sam the surname Sparks, and developed his mum's character as a singer, so that they could continue to use Sparkle as the film's title.

User Reviews

not really feel-good

Not as good as the writers'/directors' previous effort, LAWLESS HEART, despite an array of fine actors. I think the problem lies in the limited range of the male lead. Scenes between everyone else work well enough, but his cheeky-chap persona grates after a while. This is more of a criticism of the script than of the actor. When we finally see his vulnerable side, it's too late for the rom-com ending.

The relationship between the characters also seems too conveniently close-knit to convince. Sure, by definition every work of fiction is artificial, a fabrication. There was a central idea in LAWLESS HEART - a bereavement - that bound the whole thing together. Here, unfortunately, the inter-connections seem worthier of a novel than a movie.

Bob Hoskins is particularly endearing in SPARKLE, so fans of his should see the movie if they can. Otherwise, in spite of reliable performances from reliable performers, this feels like a rather half-hearted attempt at a feelgood movie.