Set against the racial tensions of Detroit in the late '60s, Sparkle stars a former American Idol and is about a girl group getting discovered, rising to fame, and falling apart. Is this an untimely review of Dreamgirls, you ask? Man, I wish. I LOVED Dreamgirls. Nope, this is Sparkle. It's a lot like Dreamgirls in many, many ways. Most ways, actually. But unfortunately, this film's star and former Idol, Jordin Sparks, is no Jennifer Hudson. This is Sparks' film debut, and her turn as lead character Sparkle—yeah, that's the character's name, it's weird—is weak, giggly, batty-eyelash-y, and does little more than remind me that it's time to watch Dreamgirls again. by Elinor Jones