Fresh
Sparkle shamelessly piles on the cliches, but it's an entertaining ride throughout.
Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com
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Sparkle
Overview
Musical prodigy, Sparkle struggles to become a star while overcoming issues that are tearing her family apart. From an affluent Detroit area and daughter to a single mother, she tries to balance a new romance with music manager Stix while dealing with the unexpected challenges her new life will bring as she and her two sisters strive to become a dynamic singing group during the Motown-era.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
57%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Noteworthy only for featuring Whitney Houston's last screen appearance.
Bruce Diones, New Yorker
Rotten
Sparkle is an assembly of parts and pieces from other, better movies - an overly familiar jumble of cliches mashed together.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Fresh
"Sparkle" isn't blindingly original but it delivers solid entertainment, and despite the cliches I was never for a moment bored.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Rotten
Anyone who has seen Dream Girls, What's Love Got To Do With It? or even The Doors will find themselves in familiar (if inferior) territory here ...
Courtney Shea, Globe and Mail
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