Sparkle: Bluray Review
The Movie:
This remake of the 1976 film of the same name stars Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Whitney Houston, Mike Epps, Cee Lo Green, Carmen Ejogo, Tika Sumpter, Tamela Mann, Omari Hardwick and is directed by Salim Akil. The story tells the touching yet tragic tale of three sisters (inspired by The Supremes) named Sparkle (Sparks), Tammy (Ejogo)and Dee (Sumpter). After a one-shot performance of Tammy singing a song that Sparkle wrote they get the attention of a man named Stix (Luke), who is an aspiring musical act manager). He convinces them to form an all girl music group with their sister Dee much to the displeasure of their mother Emma (Houston). From there started an almost immediate skyrocket in the local music scene. Another man also took notice. A man named Satin Struthers (Epps) who is a local comedian eyes Tammy even though she’s with her boyfriend Levi (Hardwick). He woos her away and starts a relationship with her that eventually throws her into a downward spiral as the group starts to grab more notoriety. Along the way Sparkle must find her voice and go beyond all the boundaries set in front of her to emerge as a brand new person.
There really is so much to say about a film such as this. I love that this remake was set in the past (a little further in time than the original) instead of the usual modern remake that studios usually do. Carmen Ejogo really owned her role as Tammy and you could really believe the troubles she went through as well her flooring me with her performance ability. She brought forth a seductive feel when she would hit the stage and you could easily see how the crowd was in love with her character. Tika Sumpter had a great role as Dee. Although her character was in the forefront often she made an impact for being part of the force that empowers the other sisters and lets them know to not just sit back and let things happen. Then there’s Jordin Sparks. Jordin was pretty fantastic in her feature film debut and made it look like she’s been acting forever. Her journey from being a shy songwriter to ultimately being the star was great thing to see and ended with her having her “moment” which kind of was similar to her American Idol win. Whitney Houston brought forth so much to the character of Emma. She was their mother. She made you really believe these girls were her children. In an eerie sense a lot of the events that happened to Tammy in the movie seemed to pattern Houston’s life experiences. With this being her final role after passing away three months after filming was completed, I feel she really put a really nice “.” on her legacy and career.
Special Features:
Extended performance of “Hooked On Your Love” by Jordin Sparks – A slightly longer version of the song the sisters first sang as a group in the beginning of the movie.
A Tribute to Whitney Houston – A really nice and touching feature with the cast and crew retelling some stories and experiences of Whitney Houston while she was on set.
A Dream Come True – A look into what it took to get Sparkle (2012) made. This was particularly good because they also give you a glimpse into the movie’s setting of Detroit in 1968.
Sparkle & Shine – A feature about the the female leads in the film that provides an insight into each actress and their characters.
A Sparkling Performance – This feature shows what it takes to put together the performance scenes in the movie.
“Celebrate” Music Video By Whitney Houston & Jordin Sparks – A really fun song with an equally fun video featuring many of the cast just having fun and laughing.
I have to admit, I liked this film a lot more than I really thought I was. If you like to see films with a bit of history behind them (even though the story was fictional) then this is definitely for you. The Whitney Houston Tribute feature is a bit short but a really nice touch.
Sparkle is out NOW on Bluray/DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
