Rich Wright Some films just feel like everyone's going through the motions, with the cast on autopilot and nary a surprise anywhere. Check this one out for starters... the individuals in it feels unfinished, as if the writer started exploring their personalities but gave up halfway through. They behave in very odd ways, with no satisfactory answers given why and no great thought as to their motives. They fall in love at the drop of a hat, are sneaky and devious one minute and yet kind and considerate the next, and OF COURSE there has to be two gay uncles dishing out advice on love. YAWN.And don't get me started on the event which ultimately repairs the relationship between our central duo... it's the first time I've seen a couple overcome the myriad of difficulties they have over a dodgy dance cover sung by the bloke's mother. Who needs a marriage counselor when you've got a middle aged X factor reject? When the pair made them goo-goo eyes at each other over the dance floor while his mummy warbled on, my breakfast almost made an unwelcome reappearance.Still, it's not all bad news. The actors are certainly game, and throw themselves into their parts... as limited as they are. And there is the odd funny line that they manage to squeeze under the radar. It's an inoffensive, relatively harmless way to spend 100 minutes. Just don't go expecting any major insights on love, life or karaoke, or you're likely to be disappointed. Massively. 5/10

Ian Padfield Sparkle reminds me of a feeling I've had many times before. I had locked this feeling away in a drawer in a secret office somewhere. By watching this romcom, i was forced to enter that underground bunker, and nervously open the dusty drawer. I am glad that this metaphorical event happened, because it has made me realise that, honestly, the feeling is not that scary. Sure, it was a little uncomfortable at first, but refreshing to finally release what had been repressed for so long. The film brings us a stream of characters, in a periodic, cyclical fashion. Sam Sparkes (Shaun Evans) is our young male protagonist, who abandons everything to move to London, and obtain menial work with the brilliantly bashful Vince (Bob Hoskins). Sam's mother Jill (Lesley Manville), doesn't want to be left behind, so she joins him in London. Hoskins is the perfect choice to play Vince, who sheepishly pines for Jill in a manner which is first just creepy, yet becomes adorable. He is a gentleman, but with urges which drive him to act a little desperate, for instance the moment when he sees Jill bending over outside his window, and chooses to take a photograph! Sam has a brief conversation early on with a fellow waiter, the significance of which is apparent later. The waiter explains jokingly that he slept his way into his job. Sam goes on to meet and charm the much older Sheila (Stockard Channing), whom he not only sleeps with, but indeed, gains employment with. So far, so indie, you might say. A strong comic element hits us in the face in the opening scene, and we are allowed to think that this is a film which is going to be downright silly throughout. But the jokes are amusing, and we soon realise that despite the comedy, we are on tentative ground, because at any moment we can be surprised by a sudden dive into emotional upheaval. So we can certainly call this a romcom without doubt. However, I am left feeling that there is something else to this movie. At a party held by Sheila, a brazen young vixen called Kate (Amanda Ryan) entrances Sam and they have a 'moment'. This of course leads to an affair. Nothing particularly different yet. However, Kate has some secret information regarding her identity, which makes us realise that Sam is not a mere scallywag cheat, but a fully fledged scoundrel. Because when he discovers this secret, he is devastated. But he does not seem concerned for either Kate's nor Sheila's feelings, merely that he is likely to be found out soon. So for the first half an hour, Sam is a cheeky, charming kid, having a great time, and delightfully seducing an older woman to have a mature relationship. Then he falls in love with Kate, and we can't exactly blame him for that. But the way he acts from then on is just a complete switch in personality, so that for me personally I really start to hate him. And this is where my own personal bunker metaphor comes in: Sam represents a part of me that I have previously refused to recognise. None of his specific actions reflect any of mine, I must add. But his selfish tendencies, and refusal to recognise the emotional consequences he may be causing, certainly do remind me of myself in some ways. And that's the main thing I like about this film – apart from the extremely alluring Amanda Ryan as Kate, I like the fact that the main character can be an absolute bastard to the point that we hate him, and yet the film finishes with the problems resolved so that we forgive him, because she does. This means I may be forgiven? Perhaps not, but Sparkle has given me a therapeutic fantasy that I will be. And I enjoyed it.

obobjim i love this movie.even though this was a simple no point movie i live Stockard Channing and think she does an excellent job in whatever shes in. this movie, although not the conventional love story, will steel your heart and have you wanting more.Although i hardly know any of the British actors in this film except the man who plays uncle Luke i thought all were phenomenal.its was a funny down to earth film that I'm sure if we don't relate to it someone we know can.i also advice you to check out some of her other films as well as the other actors you might like them.you should watch this movie it will make you laugh =]. Also i think that it could be a great date movie just not on the first one.

Chris_Docker A sparkle is as indefinable as the soul.We can all spot it - someone who sparkles at a party. We all want it - that magic charisma. Can you think of a time when the air sparkled? You stop what you were thinking about. You hang on to every word. Maybe a smile is slowly captured at the corner of your lips? As you open your mouth to speak, does it sound like someone else speaking? Reverie in motion. Something inside just . . . sparkles! If we could only bottle it and put it in a novel, a song, a play, a movie.But Sparkle is no metaphysical examination of psychological attitude. It is a loving, light-hearted, low-effort comedy. And it sparkles.Jill is the aspiring pub singer. She travels down to London with son Sam so they can both seek fame and fortune. Vince (Bob Hoskins) offers them a flat. Sam soon meets Sheila (Stockard Chaning). Sheila is a powerful, vampish woman with her own PR company. Sam soon sleeps his way into her business. But their cosy arrangement hits problems when Sam falls for Kate (Amanda Ryan). And only later does he find out that Kate is Sheila's daughter.Sparkle does at times feel like a re-run of The Graduate, updated to a modern London setting. But its warm charm and lack of any pretentiousness wins our hearts. Hoskins has one of his most lovable roles. Shaun Evans, as Sam, perfectly balances genuine sincerity against gold-digging acumen. They all exude spontaneity and a range of conflicting emotions are handled with finesse rather than grandstanding. It can, however, verge on being too deep after telling us we will just be entertained. "I know you're a bit shallow," Kate teases Sam, and so is this movie. But do we care? Dollops of sound political correctness fill subtexts for those who have naughtily forgotten to leave brains at the popcorn stand.If there's a moral, maybe it's that even the most horrid-seeming family members aren't bad once you know things from their point of view. The inter-relatedness and mountains of coincidence are a bit overdone for believability. But, hey, there are enough giggles to distract us as we wade through a box of Kleenex at high speed. Lesley Manville (as Jill) even does her own stage songs (the film title is from a poster where she makes a grand opening). This is shameless schmaltz - a genuine British feelgood romcom.Director/writer Tom Hunsinger says, "We use improvisation as a means of discovery. Actors, in character and in the heat of the moment, react to situations in ways that cannot necessarily be written or predicted or easily imagined. The process lends itself to a life-like, spontaneous quirky quality allowing us to write for the individual 'voice' of each actor. Actor and character somehow 'knit together', resulting in performances that feel authentic and deeply felt." Not that I thought about that deeply about it at the time.I actually laughed and cried till one of my contacts fell out.