Sparkle (2012)

I did not expect to like this movie, but I really loved it. The original movie was a favorite of mine, but the rewrites really made the story more realistic. Not all black families lived in the ghetto in the sixties and most black men were not and are not drug dealers.Satin was a more believable character as a jealous comedian. Even the domestic violence portrayed the real issue behind the violence, insecurity, not sadism as the first movie implied and it showed how women get caught up in love and belonging, not the money. Whitney Houston's character was defined in this movie and the church setting provided an opportunity for Whitney to do her thing.The original movie was made during the period of blaxploitation, and without the caricatures, it is doubtful that the movie would have been made. At that time black people were simply happy to see someone who looked like them on the big screen. There were actual human beings in the remake and I think I even liked the songs better.Don't believe the critics. This was really a great movie.

The main problem with this movie is that there weren't any great songs. All the songs were just so-so, nothing stood out. If your movie is about someone making it in the music business, then there needs to be a great song. Besides that nothing was great about any of the characters nor the acting. Jordan Sparks isn't much of an actress. Everything was so cliché in this. Youngest sister has the most talent but is to scared to be the lead. Oldest sister is the lead but hooks up with the wrong guy and begins using drugs and being abused. Then there is the mom who tried to be a star herself, but succumbed to the evils of show business. Just so done before.FINAL VERDICT: Skip it.

If you are one who feels that you can't achieve what you set your mind to, then Sparkle is a movie for you! This movie is an uplifting refresher of how a girl, Sparkle, played by Jordin Sparks, had one dream and that was to be a famous singer. Her dreams constantly get torn down by her sisters, D and Sister, but mainly her mom, Emma, which is played by the famous Whitney Houston. Although many tried to steer her away from the singing business, Sparkle was determined to be what she wanted to be instead of what her mother had planned for her to be. The three sisters formed a group together, where Sister was the lead singer. They constantly snuck out in order for their mom to not find out they were going against her. All Sparkle really wanted was for her music to get noticed and if they had to sneak around to do it, she was willing to. I personally enjoyed this movie because of the different things that occurred throughout the movie were very similar to Whitney Houston's real life. Sister was known as "the mess up" because she grew up not respecting her mother and always did her own thing. Sparkle was the good little church girl who everyone loved and D was the other sister who had the aspiration of becoming a doctor. These two sisters were headed in the right direction with their lives; their mom strived for them not to become like herself or Sister. Emma was a former singer who let drugs, sex, and other things distract her from being the best singer she could be, so she quit that lifestyle and became a well-known member of the church. This is indeed very ironic because Houston grew up as that good little church girl everyone loved, but as she became more popular throughout the world, she started to abuse her fame. As the girls became popular, Sparkle started to have a relationship with one of their producers, who really enjoyed what Sparkle was doing and tried to make her get noticed. But, Sparkle didn't want to betray her mother and go against her rules, but singing was her passion and she couldn't stop. Sister started to abuse her fame and started to date the "Mr. Big Shot," Satin, played my Mike Epps. Satin was a lady's man who made Sister do drugs, drink, and drift away from her family. The group then started to go its separate ways because Sister wanted to do things on her own with Satin and although he constantly abused her, she felt as if staying with him was what's going to get her to the top. This was exactly the life Houston lived when married to Bobby Brown. He got her hooked on drugs and constantly beat her, but Houston "loved" him so much, she was willing to risk her life for someone who made her into someone the world loathed. Houston basically was forced to leave the ones she loved for Bobby and wasn't as close to her family as she used to be because Bobby and drugs were her new family. Towards the end of the movie, there was a scene where Emma was singing in church asking God why many things had to happen to her and how she wants to give her life back to Him. This was the scene that really hit home for me because of the irony. Houston lived a life for Christ before and even a little during her fame, but as the years progressed, she let fame get in the way of everything. Drugs had taken over her life and she wasn't who she used to be at all. The life she lived for the majority of the time was something no one should go through. After the movie filmed, Whitney died of a drug overdose. This makes the movie as a whole ironic because the movie hit many key points in her life and ended with her pleading to God and asking Him why she had to live the life she lived and go through all those trials. This movie is a must see if you want to see a girl who lived in constant negativity make her way out to become something positive and inspirational. I feel as if this movie showed the life Whitney Houston could've had if she chose to not abuse her fame. This movie isn't something you should just wait to rent at Red Box, go see it in theater and rent it! It's such a great movie that inspired me personally to strive for what I believe in and not let things deter me away from my goal.

"Don't ever be sorry for telling the truth." Sparkle (Sparks) is a great song writer but is afraid to preform them herself. Her sister is a great singer who can seduce any crowd. Along with their other sister they form a group that is on the cusp of getting a record deal, all while keeping the secret from their mom (Houston). But not everyone can handle success. Going into this movie I was more or less expecting another version of "Dreamgirls". For the most part that is what I got. The ironic thing about this though is that the main singer in this who was trying to be like Diana Ross ended up being more like Whitney Houston (I'm not sure if she knew or not). Again though for the most part this is just a remake of "Dreamgirls", even casting another "American Idol" as the star. I can't decide what one I liked more but I'm leaning toward "Dreamgirls" mainly because I like Eddie Murphy. Overall, if you liked "Dreamgirls" you will like this one. I give it a B.