"Glitter"
By Garrett Chaffin-Quiray

To say Glitter is a bad movie is only living up to the most obvious of expectations when given the common failure of many musicians to successfully crossover into movies (witness Prince's Under the Cherry Moon). But not only is Glitter a bad movie, it is incapable of keeping the attention span of its primary teen demographic of pop music enjoying, and bubble-gum chewing, girls. This is all the more disappointing in light of its first 30 minutes that very nearly set up a pleasant experience before falling away into the shadow of wasted time in darkened theaters, not to mention wasted money.

Nominally the autobiographical story of Mariah Carey, Glitter centers on her screen persona of Billie Franklin. The year is 1983 and Billie is the centerpiece of a three-girl backup group trying to make it big in New York City's competitive music scene.

In keeping with Ms. Carey's popular mythology, Billie is also a young woman with a past. Born to an unreliable drug addict/alcoholic mother (Carey's was to grow up on Long Island as a lower middle-class mulatto), Billie lives with the memory of being whisked off into foster care at an early age and dreams of one day re-uniting with her dance hall mom.

One night Billie is discovered as the voice behind a top-40 hit billed to a no-talent singer for whom she does backup. Dice (Max Beesley), a popular local DJ, approaches Billie and asks to produce her first album. She agrees and the pair fall in love while trying to navigate the choppy musical waters defined by the bursting, new moment of MTV.

Along the way Dice crosses path with Billie's original manager (Terrence Howard) and feels the strain of her career as it far outpaces his own successes. Symbolizing the strain Billie plays Madison Square Garden even as Dice dies in a confrontation with Billie's old manager and she loses herself in the midst of her own rising fame.

In the end she does manage to recover her mom but not before my butt fell asleep waiting for the movie to end. Director Vondie Curtis-Hall, better known as an actor of some repute in his own right, should be ashamed for having to be associated with this clunker of a movie. Likewise for such popular figures as Eric Benét, Da Brat and Dorian Harewood who figure prominently in the supporting cast.