When Whitney Houston died in February, fans recalled her 35-year-long career and the legacy she left behind. But fans also had one more thing to grasp onto: “Sparkle.” The film, which co-stars Jordin Sparks, is Houston’s silver screen goodbye.
“Sparkle,” a remake of the 1976 film starring Irene Cara, is about big-dreamer Sparkle (Sparks) and her two sisters living in Detroit in the 1960s. The girls form a group and become Motown superstars, but fame is not a fairytale and life becomes challenging.
Houston plays Emma, the girls’ over-bearing mother who was a former R&B singer. The character’s mistakes and struggles in the music industry pushed her to turn toward the church for solace.
The role seems to echo parts of Houston’s life.
Houston, who started out singing in her Newark, N.J. church, enjoyed immense famebefore drugs began to take a toll. In the months prior to her death, Houston was reportedly trying to become more connected with God. In the film, she warns her daughters of the dangers of the entertainment industry.
Critics reviewed Houston’s “Sparkle” performance and noted the vibrancy she displayed on screen.”At times, it’s like a Joan Crawford neurotic-mother fantasy, and the gravelly conviction of Whitney Houston’s performance proves that this could have been the first step not merely in a comeback but in a major re-invention,” Entertainment Weekly’s Owen Gliberman wrote. “She had the instincts of a superb character actress.”
“Envisioned as a starring vehicle for Sparks, ‘Sparkle’ is also a fitting curtain call for Houston,” USA Today reporter Claudia Puig said. “Her character’s ultimate willingness to acknowledge her daughter’s dreams and encourage the musical aspirations of the next generation is a lovely final tribute.”
Houston does not truly show off her own vocal chords until the end of the film. Houston’s voice, which has changed throughout the years, proved to be as moving as ever.
“While ‘Sparkle’ doesn’t give the audience a lasting memory of Houston’s voice at its most soaring, it does manage to provide a lingering sense of loss, mixed with celebration and grim irony,” according to Washington Post critic Ann Hornaday.
Box Office Numbers
After receiving mixed reviews, the film Sparkle grossed $12M at the box office over the weekend.
Sparkle, the Whitney Houston & TD Jakes-produced remake of the 1976 classic bowed into the box over in 5th place this weekend with $12M in ticket sales.
Though the flick was out-grossed by films like The Expendables 2 and The Bourne Legacy, SONY only spent $14M to make it. So the film should make the company’s money back and then some. By the way, Sparkle was shown in close to 1500 LESS theaters than many of the movies in the top 5.
Movie insiders added that the film’s audience was skewed toward an older female demo, but it reportedly met box office performance expectations.
(Source:HuffingtonPost)
