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.
