“Overblown”

“Hotshots” looks at a movie!

Sparkle is the 2012 remake of the 1976 film of the same name and story, but not of the 2007 film of the same name but different story.

This film also has the distinction of being the last film that Whitney Houston made before she died, and she was also one of the executive producers of it.

Houston said in an interview that the original film inspired her so much when it came out, and “I would go every Saturday for, like, four months straight, and I would watch the matinee to the evening show.”

This version moves the story from the 1950s to the 1960s, but it is still about a trio of sisters who want to make it big as a singing group in the music business.

No, Houston does not play one of the sisters. She plays their mother, who doesn’t approve of her daughters’ ambition, because she used to be a singer in the business, but she has bitter memories because it almost killed her.

The story begins in 1968 in Detroit, and the sisters are named Sparkle, Dolores, and, confusingly, Sister.

Sparkle is shy, but she loves music, and she writes the songs; Dolores, who also goes by Dee, actually wants to be a doctor, but she gives support to her sisters’ ambitions; and Sister is the outgoing one who starts out singing by herself, is impressive with her performances, and could succeed.

Of course, there are men around, too. Levi is dating Sister, and his cousin Stix, who is visiting from Kansas City, takes an interest in Sparkle, and when the girls starts singing as a group, Stix becomes their manager.

However, Sister becomes involved with a professional comedian named Satin, they get serious, but Satin is a bad influence and he introduces Sister to some very bad habits, personally and professionally.

All the while, Mama disapproves, and things just go from very bad to worse.

In other words, the story is a classic story about show business: Girls have ambition and want to be successful in show business, girls achieve success, girls lose success because of a tragedy, girls find success again but in different ways and to different degrees.

And don’t worry.  Houston also sings a song, but not on stage.

Sparkle is overblown, overdone, and doesn’t sparkle at all.

I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”