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

beautiful

Just seen this film on Dublin Film Festival and it's beautiful. OK, I would not call it a masterpiece, there aren't really any deep feelings or thoughts in there, it is just a comedy. But it is so beautifully shot.

I happened to see quite a few films recently that aim high but fall flat with their shallow performance, jerky camera movements, etc. This film is a nice break from that. It flows from scene to scene smoothly and naturally. It's like a good music by wind instruments. If everything plays in unison, you can almost physically feel the beauty of the music flow. Same here. Everything fits together so perfectly: camera work, montage, acting.

Acting is excellent. Entirely believable and funny. Especially from Amanda Ryan and Shaun Evans. (Uncle Tony was very funny as well.)

So, don't expect any incredible depth, but if you want to have a bit of fun (possibly on a date, as there is lots of romance in there as well) then this film is well recommended.