Sparkle film review

certificate_15

SPARKLE

Sparkle is a contemporary British film that can best be described as curious. Beginning as one thing and ending as another, it's a film which veers somewhere betweeen comedy, drama and romance, although it never seems fully sure of itself. The biggest mystery after watching it is the question of who excactly it is aimed at.

Although Bob Hoskins is touted as the big name draw, he really has only a character part in the film as Vince, a kindly oddball who falls for wannabe singer Jill (Lesley Manville) when he hears her perform in a dingy club. Jill wants to move to London and Vince has a spare flat in his house.

Once Jill arrives in the big city, the story takes a major turn to focus on her son, twentysomething Sam (an amiable Shaun Evans). Sam finds a job as a waiter for events boss Sheila (Stockard Channing, sporting an impressive English accent), and soon enough - despite the age gap - he has climbed up her stocking ladder and into her bed. But things become complicated when Sam starts another relationship with Kate (Amanda Ryan), Sheila's daughter.

There are times when Sparkle seems more like a nine o'clock ITV drama than a motion picture event. But at its heart it does have a sweet nature and the central section of the film - the menage a trois sequence - is certainly engaging. The performances also help. Evans and Ryan carry the burden of the younger lovers impressively, while the familiar faces of Channing, Hoskins and Manville provide reliably assured touches. Anthony Head also turns up in yet another bizarre cameo as Sheila's camp brother.

Nevertheless, the whole thing doesn't leave a huge lasting impression and is likely to have only a brief stay in the cinemas before finding more success on DVD and the small screen.

Paul Hurley