Instead, Emma has a host of different issues.Ī failed singer, Emma pulled herself out of depression and turned to church. Perhaps, the Akils believed a 2012 audience wouldn’t be able to relate to that Ann Petry-esque story line of an absent mother who spends most of her time ironing clothes for a living. This time around, Dolores is chasing higher education from the beginning, and her mother pushes her. In the original, Dolores flees Harlem by attending some unnamed black school, not wanting to end up like her mother, a housekeeper who travels two hours each morning to work for a white family, the Gerbers. He is able to woo Tami away from a livid Levi by flashing a little cash, but Tami quickly has to decide if she is willing to pay the price for her new life.ĭolores (Tika Sumpter), the middle sister, agrees to join the group to save up cash to attend medical school. She joins the group hoping to make enough money to leave Emma’s home for good.Įnter Satin Struthers. She’s got a low paying job as a salesgirl, and no hope in sight. While it does stray from the original story line quite a bit - for example, Satin Struthers (Mike Epps) is a hotshot comedian instead of a thug - it keeps the plot moving along and makes it fresh.Īlthough not as narcissistic as Lonette McKee’s Sister, Ejogo’s Tami also believes her looks are her ticket out of struggle. The film is more fast-paced, doing away with the long montages that weighed down the ‘70s film. When Sparkle and Tami shrug him off after the performance, he goes on the chase. A girl group seems like a cheap ticket to success. They would make the perfect girl group - the women are pretty and can sing - but their crazy mother Emma (Whitney Houston) would never allow it. He is staying with his cousin, Levi (Omari Hardwick), who quickly fills him in on the deal with the Williams sisters. Her performance grabs the attention of Stix (Derek Luke), a wannabe talent manager who just got into town. “Sister” (Carmen Ejogo) to hit the stage at the Detroit Discovery Club for her. Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) is an aspiring songwriter too afraid to sing her own lyrics, so she enlists her older sibling, Tami a.k.a. Set in Motown-era Detroit instead of Harlem, this version of “Sparkle” still centers around three sisters chasing three very different dreams. From left: Tika Sumpter, Carmen Ejogo and Jordin Sparks star in “Sparkle.” (Alicia Gbur/AP/TriStar Pictures - Sony)
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