Sparkle

In 1950s Harlem, Effie is raising three teenage daughters and working as a maid on Long Island, for people she calls by the name of a Nabisco product I won't use. Sparkle likes Stix, who sings with an all-male R & B group and wants to work in the recording industry. Sparkle and her sisters want to sing too, and eventually they join the group, which is called The Hearts. The emcee who first introduces them (some of you may know him as Fred Sanford's friend Bubba) messes that up.

Stix feels an all-girl group would work better. Sister and the Sisters turns out to be a big hit with local audiences. They have potential to hit the big time. But this means dealing with some unsavory characters. Levi is nice but he works for the charming but cruel Satin, who hits his jealous girlfriend in his first scene.

Whether the girl group will succeed depends a lot on how they adapt to the temptations provided by the show business world. Sister is the prettiest and apparently the oldest, and the lead singer. So then why is the movie called "Sparkle"? You'll find out.

This wasn't a feel-good movie by any means, though parts of it were nice. But most of the leading performers did a good job with their roles, even if more time was devoted to music than advancing the plot. And the musical performances were superior and explored a variety of styles from Doo-Wop to Motown to restaurant jazz and down-and-dirty jazz. We even had two scenes in church, one with upbeat old-time black gospel, and one with slow, passionate funeral music.

What makes the movie worthwhile is that it shows making it in show business can be next to impossible, with many obstacles requiring determination to overcome, along with the ability to resist what can end it all.

After several years of reading about this musical film, I finally watched Sparkle on Netflix Streaming. It's about a trio of Harlem sisters consisting of Lonette McKee (Sister), Dwan Smith (Dolores), and Irene Cara (Sparkle). Philip Michael Thomas also appears as Stix who's originally one of two male members of the group before becoming the groups' manager later on. And Mary Alice plays their mother Effie. The original songs are by Curtis Mayfield who was from Chicago of which I'm also a native of. The presentations of the performances are very good especially when Ms. McKee or later Ms. Cara are showcased in their close-ups. It was also a nice treat to see Don Bexley-best known to me and others as Bubba on "Sandford and Son"-as one of the M.C.'s. The drama was maybe a little too quick the way they were presented but overall, I very much liked Sparkle. P.S. When I read the obits of Whitney Houston yesterday and found out about her involvement in an upcoming remake with Jordin Sparks as the title character and Ms. Houston as the mother, my heart broke when I realized she wouldn't live to see the result which will be released this August. So it's in her memory I dedicate this review.

With the success of "Dreamgirls" on Broadway and film, and several other films with similar story lines, one wonders if there will ever be an actual bio-film of the real Supremes? To the embittered review by "Husky Miller"(his handle kind of tells you something of his personality), "Sparkle" is not supposed to be some sort of definitive drama. It is entertainment. Unfortunately, until Berry Gordy/Motown Film Productions began making movies like the multi-nominated "Lady Sings the Blues", Hollywood was very conservative in green lighting films targeted first to the black community. The early 70s saw a mishmash of so-called "black exploitation" movies. Hollywood understood there's an audience of moviegoers that were underserved. But just like "slum lord housing", the movies being made were low budget trash that had extremely limited endurance. Just like Mr. Gordy upgraded the image of black artists and entertainment with global appealing stars like The Supremes (hence Diana Ross), The Temptations. The Jackson 5, Motown films symbolized works with crossover appeal. "Lady Sings the Blues", "Mahogany", "The Wiz", "Bingo Long and the Travelling Allstars" endures nearly a half century later and are still seen on cable. It's no coincidence that Motown gave the world, a Mount Rushmore-like of artists from the aforementioned The Supremes, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson for instance. So "Sparkle" is by no means some great work of art, but, it is a labor of love that inspired an update in 2012 by the late, great Whitney Houston, En Vogue even turned one of the songs "Something He Can Feel" into a hit again in the 90s. So Mr. Miller, lighten up and try and find the innocence and joy in an entertaining film.

I saw this movie more than once and each time it seems to get better and better. The movie gets a hold of you from the beginning and if you enjoy a great storyline then it doesn't let you go so easily. Yes it may be a rags to riches story but, it's a good one if I might add. I love Irene Cara and the soft yet strong part she plays to "Sister" Lonette McKee and she herself delivers a great performance. Urban,Gritty,Ghetto story of teenagers in 1950's NY with huge dreams of making it big for a better life for themselves is Awesome!!!! Although they lose one or two of the group members along the way it all comes down to PERSERVEARANCE being key. I'll buy it and watch it again & again!

Sparkle (1976)

*** (out of 4)

Set in Brooklyn during the 1950s, the story revolves around Sparkle (Irene Cara), a talented teenager who joins a band with her two sisters but things start to unravel when the older sister gets involved with drugs. Based on the story of The Supremes, SPARKLE is a pretty entertaining gem that manages to get you caught up in the story even though there's no question it's all rather predictable and at times too cute for its own good. I think the most attractive thing the film has going for it are the songs composed by Curtis Mayfield. The songs really capture the mood and spirit of R&B during this period and while none of the songs can compare to the real hits of the day, I think each of them are good enough to at least help draw you into the story. Another major plus is the performance of Cara who easily steals the film. From the very first time you see Cara she just grabs you up and takes you along on this journey. Another good performance comes from Philip Michael Thomas as the man in her life trying to make her see how special of a talent she has. Lonette McKee is also good as the older sister who gets mixed up in the drugs. Director Sam O'Steen does a very good job with the details of the era and I thought he managed to make the scenery very realistic. You really do feel as if you're in the 1950s and that certainly helps the movie. Joel Schumacher wrote the screenplay and does a pretty nice job with the story even though there's no doubt that it's a tad bit too simple and I'd also argue that it could have avoided the blaxploitation notion that all white people are evil and just out to do bad things (the money lenders in this film). Still, SPARKLE is a good little musical that's worth seeing and especially if you enjoy the music of the period.