"Sparkle"

Drama, Musical/Performing Arts, Remake. Rated PG-13. 1 hour, 38 minutes.

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This was Whitney Houston's last movie before she died. "Sparkle" was directed by Salim Akil and produced by Stage 6 Films.

The movie is set in the 1960's in Detroit during the Motown era. There are lots of scenes a Detroiter will recognize, such as the Fillmore Theatre, Baker's Keyboard Lounge and Lafayette Coney Island.

Houston plays an overbearing and strict mother, named Emma, of her three girls who want to become famous. Church is the center of her universe and they all go every Sunday. Sparkle (played by Jordin Sparks) is the youngest of the three sisters and has a dream, but her mother holds her back. Houston reminds her girls of the cautionary life she had as a R&B singer and what a rough life she had.

Sparkle lives and breathes music and is the songwriter of the group. She just didn't have the courage to get up on stage. Her boyfriend then convinces her that she should follow her dream. But there are issues in the family that make that road a little bumpy.

Her oldest sister gets involved with a man who loves her, but marries the rich man who is their ambitious manager offering her more. He abuses her and gets her into drugs. Sparkle tries to help her and get her off drugs for the sake of the group.

Houston sings one song in the entire movie and that is at the end of the movie. Her voice was very wispy and scratchy as she sings in church, and not the voice I remember from years ago. Her presence in this movie will be remembered for decades. Houston died three months after filming ended. This film was dedicated to her memory. She was truly a legend.

OVERALL RATING: B

Graphic credit: TriStar Pictures

Sparkle movie poster