Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a remake of the 1976 film of the same title, which centered on three singing teenage sisters who form a girl group in the late 1950s.

[6] The film stars Jordin Sparks, Whitney Houston, Derek Luke, Cee Lo Green, Mike Epps, Carmen Ejogo, Tika Sumpter, Tamela Mann, and Omari Hardwick.

Sparkle features songs from the original film written by soul musician Curtis Mayfield as well as new compositions by R&B artist R.

Dee agrees to join the group, reasoning she will perform until she has earned enough money to pay for medical school.

Though Sister is initially undecided, Sparkle convinces her that if they win a local talent show, she could use the prize money to finally move out of Emma's home.

With Stix as their manager, the girls enter the talent show and wow the crowd with their performance of "Hooked on Your Love".

This becomes apparent to Dee and Sparkle when, in preparation to open for Aretha Franklin on a television show, Sister walks into the dressing room with a black eye and bruises.

Stix introduces the girls to Larry Robinson, a Columbia Records executive who offers to sign them as a group.

A meeting with Columbia is derailed when Dee and Sparkle find Sister in a back room looking for a cocaine fix.

Hearing that Sister has been arrested and charged with manslaughter, Emma leads her church choir in a performance of "His Eye is on the Sparrow".

She arrives home to find Dee packing up to leave, with her revealing she was accepted to Meharry Medical College and must enroll promptly to receive her scholarship money.

She secures a meeting with Larry at Columbia and convinces him to give her a shot at a solo career, on the condition that she first put on a musical showcase.

[9] In the mid-1990s, BrownHouse Productions, run by Whitney Houston and Debra Martin Chase, secured the rights to a Sparkle remake from Warner Bros.

[16] With the release of the trailer, producer Debra Martin Chase said she had mixed emotions, commenting, "On the one hand, I'm so excited about the movie and we're really happy with how it turned out.

[22] The site's critical consensus states: "While undeniably melodramatic and old-fashioned, Sparkle transcends its formulaic trappings thanks to Salim Akil's empathetic direction and strong performances from a committed cast".

"[24] While giving the film a negative review, The Globe and Mail critic Courtney Shea stated Ejogo, in comparison to Sparks' performance, was "in fact more dynamic, sexy and, dare we say, Bootylicious than the real thing – plays hardened vulnerability to perfection, so much so that you wonder (given her 38 years) where Hollywood has been hiding her.

"[25] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle went as far as to suggest in his review that Ejogo's performance might place her under serious consideration for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.