Sparkle
It’s all about Motown and the girl group that never was as singer songwriter Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) and her two sisters (Carmen Ejogo and Tika Sumpter) gain the attention of a major record label. But drugs, men, and family drama could be the downfall off them all. Meanwhile, the girl’s mother, Emma (Whitney Houston), does her best to steer her girls towards success, but some kinds of help are the kind of help we all can do without.
In what feels almost autobiographical for Houston, a number of her lines, now posthumous, ring as downright eerie or ironic, or both. Meanwhile, the rest of the script is so drab and boring it barely carries us to the songs we’re all hoping to hear. And, at that, the music doesn’t exactly stay in the period, odd since this is really supposed to be a period piece. But then, the musical performances were pretty good, so….go figure. Lesser cinematography rounds out the rest. A sad final note for Houston to go out on.