Sparkle
2012 · 116 min · Director: Salim Akil
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
A talented young woman is torn between her dreams and her family in this musical. Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) has been blessed with a beautiful voice and a gift for songwriting, but she's afraid to perform her songs in public, in part because her mother Emma (Whitney Houston), a former entertainer whose career brought her nothing but heartache, refuses to allow her daughters to sing outside of church. But Sparkle persuades her older sibling Sister (Carmen Ejogo) to sing one of her tunes at a talent show, and the reaction proves that Sister has star quality and Sparkle can write potential hits. An ambitious would-be manager, Stix (Derek Luke), persuades Sparkle and Sister to form a singing group with their sibling Dolores (Tika Sumpter), but while the act clicks wit audiences, the sisters have to contend with their angry mother, Sister gets caught up in a destructive relationship with a short-tempered comedian (Mike Epps), and Sparkle finds herself falling in love with Stix.
Emotional fingerprint
Sparkle (2012) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Sadness 30%, Love 25%, Inspiration 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Sadness30%
- Love25%
- Inspiration20%
- Empathy15%
- Hope10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Sadness, Love, Inspiration. Genres: Drama, Music. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Sadness, Love and Inspiration. Its IMDb rating of 5.8/10 suggests a mixed audience reception; consider how well the emotional profile suits you. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 60/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Hope
- Joy
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Joy
Dominant emotion: Hope
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Hope | Joy | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Joy | 48 % | 18 % | 43 % | 12 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 9′ | Joy | 45 % | 21 % | 38 % | 14 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 15′ | Hope | 44 % | 34 % | 31 % | 16 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 20′ | Hope | 48 % | 41 % | 32 % | 16 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 26′ | Love | 50 % | 39 % | 36 % | 15 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Hope | 55 % | 44 % | 45 % | 18 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Joy | 61 % | 44 % | 48 % | 28 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 44′ | Tension | 63 % | 25 % | 29 % | 46 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 49′ | Tension | 66 % | 10 % | 14 % | 61 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 55′ | Tension | 68 % | 21 % | 21 % | 53 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 61′ | Hope | 61 % | 40 % | 33 % | 35 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 67′ | Tension | 60 % | 33 % | 26 % | 43 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Sadness | 73 % | 14 % | 11 % | 66 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Sadness | 81 % | 18 % | 8 % | 63 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 84′ | Sadness | 74 % | 38 % | 13 % | 29 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 90′ | Sadness | 69 % | 52 % | 19 % | 14 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 96′ | Hope | 71 % | 63 % | 32 % | 23 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 102′ | Hope | 75 % | 69 % | 50 % | 26 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 107′ | Hope | 78 % | 69 % | 63 % | 18 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 113′ | Joy | 77 % | 65 % | 68 % | 8 % |
Man in a hole
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Sparkle. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Details
- Directed by
- Salim Akil
- Written by
- Joel Schumacher, Howard Rosenman, Mara Brock Akil, Mara Brock Akil
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2012
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Sadness
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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