Blu-ray, DVD Release: Sparkle

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 30, 2012
Price: DVD $30.99, Blu-ray $35.99
Studio: Sony


Sparkle movie scene

When Jordin Met Whitney: Ms. Sparks (l.) and Ms. Houston star in Sparkle.

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and the late Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard) star in the musical drama film Sparkle, a remake of the 1976 cult favorite starring Irene Cara (Fame) and Lonette McKee (The Cotton Club).

Sparks stars as Sparkle (appropriately enough!), a young woman whose big dreams of stardom seem almost impossible. She’s been warned against the pitfalls of the music industry by her protective mother (Houston), yet encouraged by the handsome and ambitious Stix (Derek Luke), Sparkle forms a trio with her sisters (Tika Sumpter and Carmen Ejogo). Together, they perform the soul-stirring songs that Sparkle pens. But as their fame grows, so do the risks of jealousy, self-doubt and temptation.

Directed by Salim Akil from a story by Joel Schumacher (Tigerland), the movie also stars includes Carmen Ejogo (Away We Go) Mike Epps (Jumping the Broom), Omari Hardwick (The Runner) and singer CeeLo Green.

The PG-13-rated Sparkle opened wide in U.S. theaters in August, 2012 to a rather tepid critical and commercial response, ringing up a notch beneath $25 million at the domestic  box office.

Here’s the situation with the Blu-ray and DVD:

DVD Bonus Material Includes:

§  Director’s Commentary
§  Two Featurettes:
o   “A Tribute to Whitney Houston”
o   “A Dream Come True”

Blu-ray Bonus Material Includes:

All DVD bonus content, plus…
§  Director’s Commentary
§  Two Additional Featurettes:
o   “A Sparkling Performance”
o   “Sparkle and Shine”
§  “Hooked On Your Love” – Extended Performance
§  Music Video for “Celebrate” by Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks

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About Laurence

Founder and editor Laurence Lerman saw Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest when he was 13 years old and that’s all it took. He has been writing about film and video for more than a quarter of a century for magazines, anthologies, websites and most recently, Video Business magazine, where he served as the Reviews Editor for 15 years.