Review of Sparkle (2012) by Jw M — 07 Dec 2012

Tragic stories of up and coming singers, although done many times, still present dramatic opportunity. But this one is more mediocre than most and probably would not have received any notoriety if it were not for Whitney Houston's untimely death. The Direction is poor, much is unbelievable and characters change position without justification. Sparkle is a little too Alicia Keyes for the 1960s and where did she get that $100K back up orchestra and choir for her self financed finally?

Some good acting and fine performances (including Ms. Houston in church) but they don't overcome a glossy movie that lacks heart. Oh and how many times do we have to have the drug using, physically abusing black boyfriend/promoter...if it's central to the story perhaps, but here it was just cliche.