It took a while before I could finally plant myself in a
seat to see the much talked about remake of Sparkle, featuring the late Whitney
Houston. Life is real. That said, Labor
Day Weekend finally gave me that chance.
I saw the movie at the Cinemark Egyptian 24 Multiplex in Hanover,
Maryland, at Arundel Mills Mall. A
matinee ticket for $6.50 was a good thing to hold. I can’t say the same thing
about the little bags of popcorn they sell as large bags of popcorn for $8.00. But after the lights went down in the movie
theater and the previews started, I tried not to think about that too much. The
film is directed by Salim Akil. Its screenplay is written by Mara Brock Akil,
and adapted, of course, from the original story written by Joel Schumacher and
Howard Rosenman. If what they say is
true about “many hands making light work,” it looks like a lot of folks helped
to bear the cash burden of making this version of Sparkle. The film is produced by Debra Martin Chase,
T.D. Jakes, Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil, and Curtis Wallace. Cool.
The good: Any time you get a chance to hear a lot of Curtis
Mayfield’s music, you have been blessed.
Any time you get to hear Whitney Houston sing, you have been
blessed. The Mayfield music in this
movie operates like a main character. For those old enough to have seen the
first Sparkle movie, it is this character that is the draw. And, for the most
part, this second Sparkle doesn’t disappoint in the Mayfield music
department. In fact, the overall musical
performances in the film are fantastic.
And, without a doubt, the overall casting choices in this
film are also great. Carmen Ejogo, as
Sister, scintillates, Jordan Sparks, as Sparkle, is inspired, Tika Sumpter as
Dolores (the third, and arguably strongest of the sisters) is magnetic, Derek
Luke, as Stix, is superb. Mike Epps is impressive and almost steals the show
when he shows off his dramatic range. Omari Hardwick, as Levi, is riveting, and
CeeLo Green, as Black, also very good.
The bad: Some things you shouldn’t mess with and a
masterpiece is one of them. The original 1976 Sparkle, directed by Sam O’Steen,
is one of them. Like most remakes, the Sparkle remake struggles to be better
than the original movie. In this way, it
places itself in a no-win situation. To
follow Phillip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara, Lonnette McKee, Dwan Smith, Mary
Alice, and Dorian Harewood (just to name a few from that original cast), is an
impossible thing to do. The first film
had a charm that this film just doesn’t have.
It’s not even close. Perhaps, if
Mara Brock Akil had followed more closely the original screenplay model, the remake
would have been better. At the very least, I think the ending of her Sparkle
script would have been stronger, had she taken this approach.
Also, there are problems this remake has with creating the
right look and feel of the period in which the film is set (1968 Detroit). The
Sparkle character in this remake starts out as a backup singer for the Supremes
(kind of) and ends up as Alicia Keys. One gets the feeling that the director is
trying to accomplish to things: appeal to a contemporary black audience, while
remaining faithful to the classic Sparkle film. That adds a weight of
anachronism to the film that can be distracting for anyone who is black and
came of age in that era.
The end of 60’s was a turbulent time and a time of intense
civil unrest in America. Expressions of black self-awareness and social
activism pervaded black culture.
Profoundly significant numbers of young black folks wore afros in those
days. The story in the Sparkle remake
takes place the same year that black Olympians John Carlos and Tommie Smith
raised their fists in the Black Power salute at the Mexico City Olympic Games
(and only one year after the 1967 Detroit riots). In 1968, Dr. King was assassinated and the
majority of young black women from coast to coast were trying to look like
Angela Davis, to be sure.
In spite of that fact, signs of the explosion of black
awareness that dominated urban America are virtually invisible in the 2012
rekindling of the Sparkle story. When
images of black awareness (afros) do appear in the film, they are belittled as
abnormalities. That was sad to see.
The Most Important Question: Was it a good movie?
Sparkle is a pretty good movie. Its strength is Curtis
Mayfield’s music (which is often not given its proper due) and, without
question, Whitney Houston’s last musical performance on the big screen. In light of her recent passing, her work in
this movie is spellbinding. It almost feels like she is singing for her own
funeral. That part of the movie is stirring beyond words. And so, if I had to choose, I would not wait
for this movie to come to cable. If you love Whitney Houston, you owe it to
yourself to experience her larger than life talent on a larger than life
screen (while you still can). If I were asked to give the film a rating, numbered from 1-5 with 5
being the best, I'd give it a 3.5. It is
definitely worth seeing.
--MLJ
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