SPARKLE

US, 2012, 118 minutes, Colour.
Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Carmen Ejogo, Derek Luke, Mike Epps.
Directed by Salim Akil.

Sparkle is a musical with an African-American? focus. It is a remake of a film from the 1970s with Irene Cara and Phillip Michael Thomas, using the same names for most of the central characters.
The setting is Detroit in the 1960s, with the heritage of Motown, the world of singers, composers, record deals as well as performance. This is recreated quite effectively.
The film focuses on three sisters, Jordan Sparks as Sparkle, the composer who also wants to be a performer, but is dominated by her mother, eventually leaving home to forge a new career. The older sister played by Carmen Ejigo, helped bring up her younger sisters but wants to get out of Detroit, has a talent for singing, manipulates people and suffers a sad fate in her marriage, experiencing brutality, eventually going to prison. The third sister who serves as backup singer for the group, Sister and her Sisters, wants to study medicine.
This was the final film made by Whitney Houston, celebrated for her music career and appearance in some films, especially The Bodyguard. Nearing 50, she plays the sisters’ mother, not singing so much but having a show-stopping performance of a religious song.
The entrepreneur who falls in love with Sparkle is played by Derek Luke. The no-good television personality who marries Sister is played by Mike Epps.
The film offers a familiar enough plot, ambitions for careers, desires, disappointments.


1. An entertaining musical? Comparisons with the 1976 original? The stars and the music?
2. The era, the 1960s? Detroit, tradition of Motown and its reputation, ambitions, disappointments and struggles?
3. The range of music, the range of songs, the songs of the 1960s, modern interpretations, ballads, romantic songs, religious music? The performances?
4. The introduction to Sparkle, the sisters, the initial performance, the acclaim for Sister, Sparkle’s happiness at her song being performed, the acclaim, getting home, the strict mother, Dee and her covering for her sisters?
5. Sparkle as quiet, a composer, relying on Sister for the performances, Dee and her intentions of studying to be a doctor? The older sister bringing up the younger? Emma, her life, pregnant when young, the disappearance of her husband, her singing ambitions, fame, drinking, getting religion, going to church, getting her daughters to go, forbidding Sparkle to compose music? Her bitterness? Her treatment of her daughters? Her behaviour towards Satin at the meal?
6. Sparkle and her own ambitions, composing and performing, her book of songs, the auditions?
7. Sister and her attitude, wanting to get out of the family, bringing up the younger girls, her flair for seeing, her flirting, Levi and his devotion to her, her meetings with him, her callow attitudes, using people? Flirting with Satin, singing for him? Performance, sister and her sisters? Opportunities, the range of performances and costumes, songs? The fight before the audition? Her marrying Satin, an issue of happiness, at home, his brutality, his death, the cover-up, her taking the blame, going to prison? Sparkle visiting her? Her mother finally visiting her? And a reconciliation?
8. Dee, her hopes, care for the sisters, singing, the backup, the money for her medical studies, helping Sparkle, her attacking Satin and killing him? Sister taking the blame? Her change of hair style, her getting into college?
9. Stix and his attraction to Sparkle, their talking, going out, his plans, skills, being the manager? The performances, arranging the audition, the sisters spoiling the opportunity after his work with the record manager?
10. Spakrlel and her decision, success, the reactions of her mother, leaving home, the clash with Stix, work with her sisters, Satin’s death, visiting sister in prison? Getting the break, reuniting with Stix, the preparation for the concert, its success, her mother present?
11. A woman’s film, family, mother, sisters?
12. The men in a woman’s film, Levi and his devotion to sister, being spurned, his taking a hardline? Hurt? The touch of retaliation? Stix, his love, managing the sisters, persuasive, with the recording bosses? The split from Sparkle, reunited and happy?
13. Satin, his comic style, television, popularity, jokes, womanizing, the attraction to sister, the flirting, the marriage? His brutality? His attempts at cross cultural jokes and their failure? His death?
14. The celebration of the period, memories of Detroit, ups and downs in ambitions and the music industry? And the political background of the 1960s, especially civil rights and Martin Luther King?