Sparkle (2012 film)

Sparkle

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Salim Akil
Produced by Debra Martin Chase
TD Jakes
Whitney Houston
Curtis Wallace
Salim Akil
Mara Brock Akil
Written by Mara Brock Akil
Howard Rosenman
Based on Sparkle 
by Joel Schumacher
Howard Rosenman[1]
Starring Jordin Sparks
Whitney Houston
Derek Luke
Mike Epps
Tamela Mann
Carmen Ejogo
Tika Sumpter
Omari Hardwick
Cee Lo Green
Music by R. Kelly
Curtis Mayfield
Kier Lehman
André DeJuan
Cinematography Anastas N. Michos
Edited by Terilyn A. Shropshire
Production
company
Distributed by TriStar Pictures
Release dates
  • August 17, 2012 (2012-08-17)
Running time
 116 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $14 million[3]
Box office $24,637,469 [4]

The musical film, a remake of the original 1976 Sparkle with film stars Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Whitney Houston, Mike Epps, Cee Lo Green, Carmen Ejogo, Tika Sumpter, Tamela Mann, Cory Pritchett and Omari Hardwick. The 2012 version directed by Salim and Mara Brock Akil and produced by Stage 6 Films, features single mother Emma Anderson (Whitney Houston) attempting to raise her three daughters with strict Christian principles, as the girls struggle to chase their own dreams and agenda. The remake takes place in Detroit, Michigan in the 1960s during the Motown era.[5]

Sparkle features songs from the original film written by soul musician Curtis Mayfield as well as new compositions by R&B artist R. Kelly who serves as the executive music consultant.[6][7][8] The film serves both as the debut for American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston’s final feature film role before her death on February 11, 2012.[9]

Plot summary

Emma Anderson (Whitney Houston) did not want her daughters; Sparkle (Jordin Sparks),Delores "Dee" (Tika Sumpter) and Tammy "Sister" (Carmen Ejogo) to make the same mistakes she did pursuing a musical career that led to drugs alcohol and teenage motherhood. As an overprotective single mom, she looks to keep them from stardom and bad boys by raising them with strict Christian principles and keeping a close eye on their activities. The girls assemble a group and wow the crowds with Sisters’ sexy rendition of “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” leading them to new found stardom in the Detroit club scene before their mother has even realizes they’ve been sneaking out every night. The group enjoys more success, even opening for Aretha Franklin on a television show and engaging in talks about a record deal with Columbia Records, when Dee and Sparkle find out about Sister’s abusive relationship with local celebrity Satin Struthers (Mike Epps).After the abuse comes to a tragic end, the girls split up and Sparkle must overcome her fears of stage fright to chase her dream and ultimately become the star she was destined to be.

Cast

• Whitney Houston as Emma Anderson - An overprotective, retired professional singer. She forbids her 3 daughters from pursuing a career in music due to her own past experiences.

• Jordin Sparks as Sparkle Anderson - A 19-year-old girl and the youngest sibling in her family. She has a passion for singing but is unable to pursue a career due to her foreboding mother's rules against pursuing a career in the music industry.

• Tika Sumpter as Delores "Dee" Anderson - The middle child of the family. She's 24 years of age, confident and smart. Her ambition is to attend medical school to become a doctor.

• Carmen Ejogo as Tammy "Sister" Anderson - The oldest of the 3 sisters who displays more rebellion and a stronger desire for the fast life than either of her sisters.

• Derek Luke as Stix - an ambitious manager of Sister and her sisters' singing group, and Sparkle's love interest.

• Mike Epps as Satin Struthers - A comedian in a relationship with Sister, who he abuses.

• Omari Hardwick as Levison "Levi" Robinson - Stix's oldest cousin who is in love with Sister and tries to prove it to her.

• Terrence J as Red - An MC at the Discovery Club

• Cee Lo Green as Black - A chubby, flirty well-known male singer that sings at the Discovery Club.

• Tamela Mann as Mrs. Sarah Waters - Emma's honest close friend

• Brely Evans as Tune Ann Waters

• Michael Beach as Reverend Bryce - The Reverend of the Andersons' Church

Background

The original Sparkle, produced by The Robert Stigwood Organization in 1975 and released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1976, starred Philip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara, Lonette McKee and Mary Alice, with songs and score composed and produced by Curtis Mayfield. One song from the Sparkle soundtrack, "Something He Can Feel", became a hit single for both Aretha Franklin (in 1976) and En Vogue (in 1992).

Production

In the mid-1990s, BrownHouse Productions, run by Whitney Houston and Debra Martin Chase, secured the rights to a Sparkle remake from Warner Bros. Houston had intended to cast R&B singer Aaliyah in the lead role as Sparkle, but due to Aaliyah's untimely death in August 2001, before the film went into production plans to remake the film were put on hold. In 2005, it was revealed Raven-Symoné was cast in the leading role, but she dropped out shortly after.[10] Following the 2011 release of their first feature, Jumping the Broom, Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil, the creative team behind the TV series The Game and Girlfriends, took on Sparkle as their next project, with Houston executive producing and starring as the mother of the three girls.[11][12] Following her initial audition Jordin Sparks had been called back several times before finally landing the title role. Brandy Norwood had auditioned for the role of Deloris but it was eventually decided that it would be given to Tika Sumpter, instead Brandy was given the role of "Chardonnay" on The Game.[13]

Production began on October 10, 2011, in Detroit.[14] Filming wrapped up in early November 2011, with a release date scheduled for August 17, 2012.[5] The official trailer for Sparkle was released on April 2, 2012 and premiered on Today[15][16] with the release of the trailer the films producer Debra Martin Chase said she had mixed emotions with the trailer's release "On the one hand, I'm so excited about the movie and we're really happy with how it turned out," she said. "(But) just to have it said yet again that this is Whitney's last performance, it's hard. It's hard." [17]

Howard Rosenman, the original's producer-writer and executive producer of the 2012 remake, said a novelization of the film will be released on August 7, 2012 by Simon & Schuster.[18] Rosenman said Houston was influenced by the original film as a girl and once went to see it every day for a week when she was a teenager.[19] It apparently helped plant the dream in her to become a singer. When the new version was coming together, Rosenman approached her to play the girls' mother. She has two musical numbers in the film and on the soundtrack. Rosenman plans to team with director Joel Schumacher, one of the screenwriters of the original 1976 film, to add five new songs to those by Curtis Mayfield (in the original) and R. Kelly (in the 2012 version) for a Broadway musical of Sparkle.[20]

Release

In December 2011, Sony announced the United States release date for Sparkle would be set for August 10, 2012.[21][22] This was later pushed back by a week to August 17, 2012 due to Whitney Houston's death.[23][24]

Critical response

The movie received mixed to positive reviews.[25] Sparkle received an A on Cinemascore. Critic reviews for Sparkle so far have been generally mixed to positive, receiving a 56% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and a consensus stating: "While undeniably melodramatic and old-fashioned, Sparkle transcends its formulaic trappings thanks to Salim Akil's empathetic direction and strong performances from a committed cast" based on 88 reviews with an average rating of 5.7/10.[26] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on 25 reviews from mainstream critics, considered to be "mixed or average reviews".[27]] Others have been far more critical claiming that the Akils’ rendition simply didn’t do the original justice. “They’re juggling too many projects at once and their work is suffering,” one critic said.[28] The film is criticized for having a plot with no continuity and “whole scenes [that] are wasted on foreshadowing character development that never actually develop”[29] One critique even remembers an African American viewer who shook her head when the movie ended claiming, “it’s too packaged. It doesn’t have soul like the first Sparkle.”[30] added some of the more negative reviews too.

Critical praise has particularly been given to Carmen Ejogo's performance. Film critic Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3 stars, claiming Ejojo "steals the film not only in her sultry singing numbers but in her violent marriage to a snaky, evil comedian named Satin."[31] While giving the film a negative review, The Globe and Mail critic Courtney Shea stated Ejogo, in comparison to Sparks' performance, was "in fact more dynamic, sexy and, dare we say, Bootylicious than the real thing – plays hardened vulnerability to perfection, so much so that you wonder (given her 38 years) where Hollywood has been hiding her."[32] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle went as far as to suggest in his review that Ejogo's performance might place her under serious consideration for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. LaSalle comments: "...very few people will walk out of Sparkle talking about either Sparks or Houston, at least not at first. Instead they will be saying, "Who was that?" And they'll be referring to Carmen Ejogo...If there is any justice, Ejogo will become very famous very soon. As in, maybe today...It's rare to see someone become a movie star right before your eyes, but that's what happens with Ejogo in Sparkle....For an actress, this was the opportunity of a lifetime, and Ejogo plays it that way. She leaves nothing out, holds nothing back."[33]

On the other hand, lead actor Jordin Sparks did not make out with high praises. Playing the role of 19-year-old singer, songwriter Sparkle Anderson, some say she played the “good girl” role a little too well. Tasked with acting out the momma's girl role, she was often upstaged by her “sisters” and costars (Carmen Ejogo, Tika Sumpter) The wide sentiment is that compared with he other two lively personalities, Jordin fades into the background “playing the wallflower…does the inexperienced thesp, no favors.”[28] Even worse, “To the untrained eye, one would say that Sparks is essentially playing herself as Sparkle,” one critic said.

Another widely acclaimed actor in the film, praised for his unexpected role as Satin Struthers, is Mike Epps. Europublisher calls it a “flawless performance of a very flawed character.” In the 2012 rendition, Mike Epps plays as the local celebrity and comedian who gets into a violent and tumultuous relationship with Sister. In the original, the character was a drug dealer who beats on Sister and gets her addicted to drugs. Just as dark and intimidating, “his Satin manages to be genuinely chilling in his deadeyed sociopathology while still earning the film’s biggest laughs.”[28] They even went as far as to say he gave the best performance. His character is extremely disrespectful and uncouth, but it was raw. In an interview by Europublisher, Epps opens up about his dark and troubled past which he tapped into to put forth such a riveting role on screen. “What I been through wasn’t no fluffy shit, it’s pain …Its shit that I hide because I’m in a fluffy business and I make people laugh …” said the actor. Troubling as it was, Mike Epps delivers a powerful and disturbing role remarkably well; some call it “jaw dropping” and “uncomfortable.”[34]

Differences Between Sparkle 1976 and Sparkle 2012

Sparkle, the new version of the girl group movie of 1976, has some differences worth comparing. Critiques about he 2012 film varied with some saying “original haunts ‘Sparkle’ remake” and others who approved the new film claiming “Sparkle Still Sparkles.” When you put the two films side by side, they still have the same theme but the plots are completely different at times.

Plot

In the 1976 version:

In the 2012 version:

Gender and Sexuality

The 2012 definitely depicts black women in a more ambitious light. The sisters are chasing more than a string of amateur nights that lead up to a fairytale demo record, like they do in the first film. From the very beginning, they are dreaming bigger: shows at The Fillmore, opening for Aretha Franklin. The nightclubs they perform in aren’t shady bars with slick-tongued emcees, but polished and glitzy hot spots that A&R reps use like fishing ponds. It speaks better to a generation of black women taught to get their own.[36]

In the 1976 version

In the 2012 version

Ending

In both versions, drug addiction play an important role in Sister's downfall but 2012 gives her life, literally. In the 2012 remake, Sister is still a drug addict but it is Satin Struthers who dies, as he takes a nasty hit to the head from Dee who is trying to protect her sisters from the nasty brawl. Sister takes the fall, Dee goes off to Medical school and Sparkle achieves her Dream of becoming a star and getting a Columbia Record deal. The 1976 had a much grimmer endeing for Sister who dies of a drug overdose but the ending is very unclear. Struthers disappears after getting into a weakish fight with Stix and the audience is left wondering where the King Pin's bodyguards are the whole time.

Conclusion

Pending the open end to the movie, critiques wonder if there will be a sequel. The audience is left on a cliffhanger, maybe, since no one knows what is going to happen with Sister or if she ever turns her life around in jail. Or what happens with Sparkle, is she a one-hit wonder or does she become the signer she was destined to be?

What is known however is that, Rosenman plans to team up with the director Joel Schumacher, one of the screenwriters of the original 1976 film, to add five new songs to those by Curtis Mayfield (in the original) and R. Kelly (in the 2012 version) for a Broadway musical of Sparkle.[19]

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $11,643,342 in 2,244 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #5 at the box office.[35] Sparkle has grossed $24,397,469 domestically.[35]

Awards

Black Reel Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result
2013 Salim Akil Best Director Nominated
Twinkie Byrd Best Cast (Ensemble) Nominated
Salaam Remi Best Original Score Nominated
Mara Brock Akil Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted Nominated
Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, R. Kelly - "Celebrate" Best Original Song Nominated
Mike Epps Best Supporting Actor Nominated

BET Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result
2013 Sparkle [38] Best Movie Nominated

Music

Critics can agree that the movie brought back old favorites from the original like “Something He Can Feel,” “Look Into Your Heart,” “Jump” and “Hooked On Your Love.” Celebrated for its musical success, Sparkle went on to become a musical Blaxploitation film and a cult classic. Inspired by the Supremes, Sparkle incorporated sultry R&B featuring the work of an up-and-coming Curtis Mayfield at the time and vocals by Aretha Franklin. The movie became a hit with the African American community although the response was not the same for the Sparkle remake. The 1970s Blaxploitation films changed the way black men and women were portrayed in movies and marked a point in which the music drove the narrative. Known as “rhythmic scoring” the music dominates and the film follows.[39]

Original writer, Howard Rosenman recalls Warner Borthers’ John Calley telling him he’d make the movie is Curtis Mayfield wrote the music back in the summer of 1971.[40] What made it a cult classic? The movie brought a breath of fresh air to African American girls tired of unrelatable characters such as pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers and addicts. The girls from sparkle “felt like real people.”[40] Blaxploitation films allowed African Americans to exhibit a sense of positive outlook and confidence and concurrently, African American musicians were the ones hired to produce the confident and novel popular music.[39] To fit the theme, the 2012 portray black women in in a more ambitious light than the original did. For starters, the classic dance number to “Something He Can Feel” is much sexier and the sisters don’t look as awkward and inexperienced as they did in the first one. The remake, stars Sister front and center with a captivating and overtly sexy compilation of moves that has everyone in the audience hot for more. From Emma regaining control of her life and turning to the church, to Dee’s steadfast determination to get to Medical School, the women in Sparkle exhibit strength and ambition.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack's first official lead single is the last song recorded by Houston before her death on February 11, 2012, a duet with R&B/pop singer and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks on a song called "Celebrate".[41] The song premiered on On Air with Ryan Seacrest on May 21, 2012[42] and was made available for digital download on iTunes on June 5.[43] Whitney Houston's other track, "His Eye is on the Sparrow", debuted only one day after the premiere of "Celebrate".[44] The official music video for "Celebrate" was filmed on May 30, 2012.[45] It made its world premiere on BET's 106 & Park on June 27, 2012.[46] For the week ending August 18, 2012 Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack debuted on the Billboard 200 at #26, #7 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and #1 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart.[47]

[48] Billboard Albums

Year Album Chart Peak
2013 Sparkle R&B Albums 3
2013 Sparkle Top Soundtracks 1
2012 Sparkle R&B Albums 3
2012 Sparkle The Billboard 200 21
2012 Sparkle Top Soundtracks 1

[48] Billboard Singles

Year Single Chart Peak
2012 Celebrate Adult Contemporary 26
2012 Celebrate Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 39
2012 Celebrate Japan Hot 100 Singles 39

Home media

Sparkle was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 30, 2012.[49]

References

  1. ↑ Sparkle: Official Site
  2. ↑ "SPARKLE (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  3. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (2012-01-04). "Every tuner's a miracle". Variety.
  4. ↑ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sparkle2012.htm
  5. 1 2 Sneider, Jeff (2011-12-08). "Sony dates a trio of pics". Variety.
  6. ↑ "'Sparkle's' Brely Evans Says Give the Remake a Chance | EURweb". EURweb. 2011-11-19. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  7. ↑ NaiiWH (2011-11-07), Whitney Houston's Sparkling Big-Screen Comeback Interview, retrieved 2016-05-02
  8. ↑ "Emory Libraries Resources Terms of Use - Emory University Libraries". web-a-ebscohost-com.proxy.library.emory.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  9. ↑ "Jordin Sparks To Make Film Debut In "Sparkle"". Popdust. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  10. ↑ "Raven Biography - family, children, parents, name, story, wife, school, young, old, born - Newsmakers Cumulation". www.notablebiographies.com. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  11. ↑ "Whitney Houston in Talks for ‘Sparkle’ Remake, Jordin Sparks to Star in Film". Popcrush.com. 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  12. ↑ "Whitney Houston to shine in 'Sparkle'? | Welcome to". S2smagazine.com. 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  13. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRQNe-GdSVU
  14. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (2011-09-23). "Cee-Lo Green joins 'Sparkle' cast - Entertainment News, Top News, Media". Variety. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  15. ↑ Whitney Houston shines in exclusive clip from final film 'Sparkle' - TODAY Entertainment
  16. ↑ Sparkle Official Trailer #1 - Whitney Houston Movie (2012) HD on YouTube
  17. ↑ "Whitney Houston movie trailer debuts (+video)". The New Zealand Herald. April 3, 2012.
  18. ↑ http://www.blackamericaweb.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/book-version-whitney%E2%80%99s-sparkle%E2%80%99-due-aug
  19. ↑ http://www.blackyouthproject.com/2012/06/sparkle-to-become-book-and-broadway-play/
  20. ↑ Ginsberg, Merle (June 14, 2012). "Whitney Houston's 'Sparkle' Film Headed to Book Form, Eyeing Broadway". The Hollywood Reporter.
  21. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (December 8, 2011). "Sony dates a trio of pics". Variety.
  22. ↑ Stewart, Andrew (February 12, 2012). "'Sparkle' to stick with Aug. release date". Variety.
  23. ↑ Release Date For "Sparkle" Remake Gets Pushed Back | Shadow and Act
  24. ↑ Stewart, Andrew (February 12, 2012). "'Sparkle' to stick with Aug. release date". Variety.
  25. ↑ "citation needed".
  26. ↑ "Sparkle (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster, Inc. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  27. ↑ "Sparkle Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
  28. 1 2 3 "Emory Libraries Resources Terms of Use - Emory University Libraries". search.proquest.com.proxy.library.emory.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  29. ↑ "Emory Libraries Resources Terms of Use - Emory University Libraries". login.proxy.library.emory.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  30. ↑ "Emory Libraries Resources Terms of Use - Emory University Libraries". login.proxy.library.emory.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  31. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2012-08-16). "Sparkle :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
  32. ↑ Shea, Courtney (2012-08-17). "Sparkle: Amid the schlock, a glimpse of what made Houston great". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
  33. ↑ LaSalle, Mick (2012-08-16). "'Sparkle' review: Carmen Ejogo's star quality". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  34. ↑ "Mike Epps Talks The Most Illuminating Moments of ‘Sparkle’". Vibe. 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  35. 1 2 3 "Weekend Box Office Results for August 17-19, 2012". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  36. 1 2 3 4 "MOVIE REVIEW: Not Your Mother’s ‘Sparkle’". The Dithering of a District Diva. 2012-08-19. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  37. 1 2 "Sparkle: The 2012 remake portrays black women in a more ambitious light". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  38. ↑ http://www.bet.com/news/music/2013/05/14/bet-awards-13-nominations-announced.html
  39. 1 2 Donnelly, Kevin J. (2015-10-22). Magical Musical Tour: Rock and Pop in Film Soundtracks. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 9781628921281.
  40. 1 2 "Making a Cult Classic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  41. ↑ http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/21554641
  42. ↑ Ballhorn, Kelly (May 21, 2012). "WORLD PREMIERE: Whitney Houston & Jordin Sparks Duet ‘Celebrate’ From ‘Sparkle’ [AUDIO]". ryanseacrest.com. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  43. ↑ https://www.twitter.com/sparklemovie/status/204684417338322945
  44. ↑ http://www.classichitsandoldies.com/v2/2012/05/24/whitney-houstons-his-eye-is-on-the-sparrow-released/
  45. ↑ https://twitter.com/iamtikasumpter/status/208056583874293760
  46. ↑ http://www.sparkle-movie.com/site/
  47. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (August 9, 2012). "Whitney Houston Greatest Hits Album Coming This Fall". The Hollywood Reporter.
  48. 1 2 "Sparkle [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  49. ↑ http://www.thehdroom.com/news/Sparkle-Blu-ray-Release-Date-Details-and-Pre-Order/11398

External links

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