Sparkle (I) (2012)

Set in the 1960s, three sisters form girl group and soon become local sensations with major label interest, but fame becomes a challenge as the close-knit family begins to fall apart.

Director:

Salim Akil

Writers:

Mara Brock Akil (screenplay), Joel Schumacher (story),

Stars:

Jordin Sparks, Whitney Houston, Derek Luke

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jordin Sparks	...	Sparkle
Whitney Houston	...	Emma
Derek Luke	...	Stix
Mike Epps	...	Satin
Carmen Ejogo	...	Sister
Tika Sumpter	...	Dolores
Omari Hardwick	...	Levi
CeeLo Green	...	Black (as Cee-Lo Green)
Curtis Armstrong	...	Larry
Terrence Jenkins	...	Red (as Terrence J)
Tamela J. Mann	...	Ms. Sara Waters (as Tamela Mann)
Michael Beach	...	Rev. Bryce
Brely Evans	...	Tune Ann (as Bre'ly Evans)
Linda Boston	...	Sister Clora
Sidi Henderson	...	Mr. Bell

Storyline

Set in the 1960s, three sisters form girl group and soon become local sensations with major label interest, but fame becomes a challenge as the close-knit family begins to fall apart.

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Plot Keywords:

domestic violence | domestic abuse | one word title

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Taglines:

Celebrate the legend.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content involving domestic abuse and drug material, and for some violence, language and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Isiltili Hayatlar

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$11,643,342 (USA) (17 August 2012)

Gross:

$24,397,469 (USA) (28 September 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Akil Production Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), Stage 6 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Raven-Symoné was considered for the role of Sparkle Williams.

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Connections

Remake of Sparkle (1976)

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Soundtracks

"When You Gonna Get Respect (When You Haven;t Cut Your Process Yet)"
Written by Hank Ballard, James Brown and Buddy Hobgood
Performed by Hank Ballard
Courtesy of Universal Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Sparkles like a polished...well, you know...

Pop star Jordin Sparks stars alongside Whitney Houston (in her final performance of what was supposed to be the second wind of her acting career) in Sparkle, a remake of the 1976 cult hit among black audiences. Conversely, the 2012 version, centred around a trio of sisters who hit the big time in 1960s Motown before being crippled by the lures of fame, is entirely devoid of any personality or soul, playing out like every other African-American themed shambles this side of Tyler Perry's repeated disasters.

Director Salim Akil (an apparent prodigy of Perry's stylings) breaths plastic life into the cardboard cut-outs he calls characters. Almost every stereotype conceivable in the dram-rom genre is on full display, including the preachy reverend, the tough girl, the abusive husband, the heavy-handed mother and her introverted daughter.

The performances across the board are sound, but a practically non-existent screenplay renders any interaction between characters essentially worthless. Even at a touch under two hours, Sparkle severely overstays its welcome. Given the similar plot frame and emphasis on glitz-and-glamour music, comparisons to Aussie crowd-pleaser The Sapphires are to be expected, but where the local production made its intentions clear from the outset, Sparkle rambles and labours, pleading with its audiences to maintain an unwarranted sliver of attention in the lead up to a drab and bitterly predictable conclusion.

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