Jordin Sparks really sparkles. That's about the only thing that elevates Sparkle from a wannabe "Dreamgirls" to what it is: a star vehicle for Jodin. To promote the movie they cast Whitney Houston in big bold letters but it's really Jodin Sparks who shines as a girl from Detroit in 1968 that breaks all the molds, including her mother's, in order to become Motown's new shining star. I don't mind that her sister named Sister (Carmen Ejogo) steals the spotlight. Sister is, after all, the one that drives every man in the club insane as rabid dogs (and I mean dogs, literally) as she puts on the heat with her sensual performances. All the while, Sparkle is the talented one, the one that pens and inspires the wonderful and original music. The movie is a delight to watch for the great outfits, the club scenes, the live music that you can almost feel and makes you feel part of the audience. Frankly, I enjoy Whitney's last performance as a stern, religious mother who oppresses her daughters to be good Christian, church going women that don't get to experience life and feel forced to sneak out of their home whenever they want to go out and have a little bit of fun at the club. Other performance I enjoy is Derek Luke's (from Antwone Fisher) as Stix, the man who sees Sparkle's potential, and bends over backwards to make her the star that she's destined to be. However, not all is peaches and creme in Sparkle. There's a goofy comedian named Satin (Mike Epps) who pokes fun at his fellow black folk in his stand up routines and makes sure to flash his bling-bling around Sister, who is as pretty as she is dumb to not realize what a jerk he is. The problem I had with their toxic relationship is that they fail at capturing the severity of domestic violence and turn it into an almost comical, over the top note that should never be. How predictable is this story when it tries to imitate Tina Turner? Had anybody seen What's Love Got To Do With It? Sparkle tries to borrow many used ideas from girl group films that might have worked well in the past but bring nothing new to the table, no mystery that Sister and Satin don't get a happy ending. And what's up with those names? Really, who sits and think of naming their kids Sparkle, or Sister, or Stix, or Satin... Really, who?
