Customer Reviews

Sparkle

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I saw this film in the movies as a teenager and I've never forgotten how it made me laugh, cry and want to sing right along. "Sparkle" is the fictional story of the struggles of three Harlem sisters who are trying to make it in the music business in the late 1950s, but each of them encounter individual problems on the road to fame. Only one of the sisters eventually go on to stardom, while one gets engulfed into the street life, with heartbreaking results, and the other hates the life she's living and decides to leave for good.

There are fine performances in this movie. Irene Cara (who plays "Sparkle"), Lonette McKee, and Dorian Harewood are particular standouts. Look for future "Miami Vice" star, Philip Michael Thomas, as Sparkle's enterprising boyfriend. It has been compared to Broadway's "Dreamgirls" and the Supremes' story, but it has its own strengths, plus a slammin' soundtrack, written and produced by the late, great Curtis Mayfield, and sung by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. "Something He Can Feel" is STILL the jam. I gave it four stars because the ending was predictable, but all around this is a wonderful film. Highly recommended. Now where's the DVD?

I must say Sparkle is my favorite movie. I've seen it probably hundreds of times since the 70's. Lonette McKee and Irene Cara were great in this movie. Making it big in the "Music Business" was their dream until Sister (Lonette McKee) let something over power her dreams. Fortunately, Sparkle (Irene Cara) was able to succeed with the help and encouragement of her boyfriend Stix (Philip Michael Thomas). This is definitely an African-American Classic. I hear there's going to be a remake of this film soon. It may be good, but it will never come close to the original.

I thought for sure this DVD would be released in 2001 for a 25th year anniversary. When that year can and went, I figured 2006 would be the year of release for the movie's 30th year anniversary. Oh well, at least the DVD is finally being released.

The release of this movie in 1976 was a big deal in Detroit, because it was the movie debut of Detroit native Lonette McKee. She even attended the Detroit premiere! Her reviews were great, and she had appearances on many talk shows afterwards--including Dinah Shore's. On one show, she expressed disappointment that an album featuring the songs as sung by her, Irene Cara, and others in the movie wasn't released, but thanked Aretha Franklin for recording an album featuring the songs from the film. She was later cast as Ali's wife in the movie 'The Greatest', but later quit after creative differences with the director. She was then cast as one of the female co-stars in the hilarious 1977 movie 'Which Way Is Up?' with Richard Pryor (who had taken McKee under his wing and who she was rumored to have been dating). Her next big movie role was in 'The Cotton Club' in 1984, where she played a Cotton Club girl who later passes for white to get gigs in higher-paying clubs. Other roles include Haley's tv movie 'Queen' (where she played a slave who passes for white) and Oprah Winfrey's tv movie 'The Women of Brewster Place' (where she played a lesbian school teacher fearful of losing her job if her sexuality became known).

Back to 'Sparkle'...One of my all-time favorite movie characters is the tall, sexy, strutting, long-haired, high-yellow, gum-chewing, I'm-hot-and-I-know-it Sister! McKee owns the movie, and the three girls in red dresses singing "Hooked On Your Love" is a screen classic! Irene Cara is the perfect choice for the sweet, innocent Sparkle. Many often joke about pretty Dwan Smith's Delores character--mainly because she looks so unlike her supposed sisters in the film ("she was adopted"..."Effie had an affair with a black man when Delores was conceived"). But she is great as the tough, proud middle sister. Then there's Tony King as the villian Satin, and Philip Michael Thomas as the good guy Stix. (Hmmm...should I address the color complexion issue? How the lightest of the girls is considered the "prettiest girl in Harlem", how the darkest guy is the evil bad guy, and how...no, forget it! Lets just enjoy the movie!)

I love that the DVD is a 2-disc set!! I assume this means that we will get many special features! Cast interviews? Deleted scenes? A 'the making of...' documentary? Can't wait to see!

Needless to say I was absolutely thrilled when Sparkle finally became available on dvd, because I refused to buy it on vhs! Unfortunately the packaging is very misleading regarding it being a 2disc set, considering it's a single disc with a cd of the soundtrack, which only includes a few songs. Normally I would'nt find fault in the extra disc, but I just hated the fact that the original soundtrack does not include the songs being sung by the girls in the movie. When I first hear a song I enjoy there is an instant connection to the person who sings it. When I heard Lonnette McKee sing Hooked on your Love or Irene Cara sing Look into your Heart, these are the singers who I want to hear on the soundtrack not Aretha Franklin!!!
Eventhough Aretha is the Queen of Soul she did'nt sing those songs in the movie, and therefore did not make them her own!!!

Despite a few flaws in the dvd release of Sparkle, I did really enjoy seeing this 70's classic!!! I always thought Phillip Michael Thomas and Irene Cara were pure magic together. She possessed such a sweet innocence as Sparkle and Phillip Michael Thomas was just so damn fine!!!! And still is!!!! He's aged very well!!! It would have been nice to see a current interview with the original cast, but unfortunately alot of older black films from the 70's just don't get the royal treatment like alot of current films that get released on dvd. At this point I'll just be grateful that Sparkle is finally available on dvd!!!

Sparkle is a classic and excellent cast and directed film. This movie is hidden from getting the attention that is deserves. The story and acting is superb! It's a classic movie in the class with "The Imitation of Life" (but a different type of story here). I STRONGLY recommend this film.

Yesterday my 9 yr old daughter and I were travelling along the Belt Parkway in New York and Aretha came on the airwaves to give me goosepimples and to move my soul! And I sang along in a very loud, very beautiful voice yet my daughter was begging me to stop. (she secretly loves my singing): if you look into your heart, with a positive mind, take self-inventory of your.......leave the bad things behind.....

I was so moved by the undisputed Queen of Soul that I started to tell my nine yr old of 'Sparkle', a movie that I had seen way back when I too was about her age. And then I got it, as great as the queen of soul is, and as much as I stop dead in my track anytime I hear her sing, even though I had my mother go out and buy the soundtrack album, I then realized that I was first introducted to that song in 'Sparkle'.

I could remember everything about that movie even though at that time I was in Guyana, South America, a little Guyanese girl who 'Sister' and her sisters and her mamma and Irene Cara's boyfriend had a profound effect on. I loved that movie and now I am on Amazon, trying to get it so that my little American daughter could see it and appreciate why it is that her mamma loved it so much. I know that later she's going to 'get it' about what happened to Sister and the real implications to that but as a nine year old, I loved the songs and the singing and I want her to 'feel' it just as I did, because that too is special!

I figured if I bored her so much with my bad story-telling, I might as well do her the favor and let her see the movie and enjoy the music, so that she in turn could bore my grandbabies so much, they would just ask her to see the movie! There was much more to his movie that I wanted her to later "get", like a black woman working so hard to take care of her daughters etc etc etc. One thing at a time, one period at a time.
Loved it!

09/28/04
9:25 PM

"SPARKLE" is a very good movie, I'm soon to purchaase it again but everytime I buy this movie someone takes it (steals it) from my home, this makes the 3rd time I will be buying this movie. My 14 year old daughter LOVES this movie. It has great performance and the music is good too!.

To: Lance Krystopher (Hope this is Helpful)
The answer to your question what is
"Sista and The Sistas"?
Irene Cara is refering to the eldest sister they called her "Sista" which means Sister and the other "Sistas" or the younger sisters. It's basicly a (Slang Name). If you know what I mean?!.

However I do hope that someone in the movie business decide to convert this VHS version into a DVD version. I will be buying again soon to give to my daughter as a Christmas gift. If you haven't seen it BUY IT you will fall in love with it. I'll be buying 2 movies, one for me and one for my daughter.

I Really Loved This Movie, I Must Have Watched It About Fifty Times, And Everytime It Makes Me Want To See It Again. Please Can Somebody Put This Movie On DVD.

First saw this movie as a child over twenty years ago--loved it then--love it now. A must see by all. The music of Curtis Mayfield combined with the timeless talents of Irene Cara, Lonette McKey, Dorian Haywood, Phillip Michael Thomas, etc. created a classic.

I really enjoyed watching this film. Though I saw this movie a number of times over the years, this is a film that you will never get tired of watching. The movie is loosely based around girl groups such as "The Supremes" but without the Diana Ross Diva Attitude, yeah I said it. This film is indeed a classic and is strongly recommemded for VHS or DVD collection.