I get skeptic on watching movies that revolve around singing groups in the 50s-80s because I feel like they are all the same. However, I absolutely enjoyed and would love to see this movie again. Let me just say Carmen Ejogo is an absolutely AMAZING actress. She practically had me in tears throughout the whole movie because she betrayed her character so well! Im not familiar with Carmens work but she sold it. Shes stunningly beautiful, and I cant wait to see her in other upcoming films. Jordan Sparks off course is an amazing singer, and for being her first film she did a good job. I think with time shell be better actress. I think this movie was a great last goodbye for Whitney Houston. Im glad I was able to hear her sing one last time. (: This is definitely a must see, and I will for surely be recommending this movie to everyone I see.

Pop star Jordin Sparks stars alongside Whitney Houston (in her final performance of what was supposed to be the second wind of her acting career) in Sparkle, a remake of the 1976 cult hit among black audiences. Conversely, the 2012 version, centred around a trio of sisters who hit the big time in 1960s Motown before being crippled by the lures of fame, is entirely devoid of any personality or soul, playing out like every other African-American themed shambles this side of Tyler Perry's repeated disasters.

Director Salim Akil (an apparent prodigy of Perry's stylings) breaths plastic life into the cardboard cut-outs he calls characters. Almost every stereotype conceivable in the dram-rom genre is on full display, including the preachy reverend, the tough girl, the abusive husband, the heavy-handed mother and her introverted daughter.

The performances across the board are sound, but a practically non-existent screenplay renders any interaction between characters essentially worthless. Even at a touch under two hours, Sparkle severely overstays its welcome. Given the similar plot frame and emphasis on glitz-and-glamour music, comparisons to Aussie crowd-pleaser The Sapphires are to be expected, but where the local production made its intentions clear from the outset, Sparkle rambles and labours, pleading with its audiences to maintain an unwarranted sliver of attention in the lead up to a drab and bitterly predictable conclusion.

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The main problem with this movie is that there weren't any great songs. All the songs were just so-so, nothing stood out. If your movie is about someone making it in the music business, then there needs to be a great song. Besides that nothing was great about any of the characters nor the acting. Jordan Sparks isn't much of an actress. Everything was so cliché in this. Youngest sister has the most talent but is to scared to be the lead. Oldest sister is the lead but hooks up with the wrong guy and begins using drugs and being abused. Then there is the mom who tried to be a star herself, but succumbed to the evils of show business. Just so done before.

FINAL VERDICT: Skip it.