Heroically bad.
Glitter (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:86
Fresh:6
Rotten:80
Average Rating:2.8/10
Consensus: Glitter is a hodgepodge of movie cliches and bad acting that's sure to generate unintentional laughs. Unfortunately, the movie is not bad enough to be good.
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Synopsis: Carey plays Billie Frank, a shy, young mixed-race girl who is sent away by her alcoholic mother at a very early age. At an orphanage, she befriends Louise (Da Brat) and Roxanne (Tia Texada), with... Carey plays Billie Frank, a shy, young mixed-race girl who is sent away by her alcoholic mother at a very early age. At an orphanage, she befriends Louise (Da Brat) and Roxanne (Tia Texada), with the help of her cuddly cat. Flash forward to 1983. Billie and her friends are spotted by a record producer, Timothy Walker (Terrence Howard), who wants them to sing backup for his latest pop-music discovery. But when super DJ Dice (Max Beesley) hears Billie's incredible voice, he makes a shady deal with Timothy to get her out of that dead-end situation. Soon, Billie and Dice are making hits inside the studio, and falling in love outside of it. Eventually, the pressure of her newfound celebrity puts too heavy a strain on Billie, forcing her to decide what it is she really wants from Dice, and what she wants for herself. Directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, GLITTER is a breezy return to the dance clubs and fashions of 1980s-era Manhattan, with a nostalgic electric musical score (compliments of Terence Blanchard and legendary producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis). [More]
Starring: Mariah Carey, Max Beesley, Da Brat, Tia Texada
Starring: Mariah Carey, Max Beesley, Da Brat, Tia Texada, Ann Magnuson, Terrence Howard, Dorian Harewood, Eric Benet
Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall
Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall
Screenwriter: Kate Lanier
Producer: Laurence Mark, Mariah Carey
Composer: Terence Blanchard
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Glitter
This fails to convince on several levels: Carey's assumed edginess; Beesley's faltering Brooklyn accent; turns from such celebs as rapper Da Brat and soul vocalist Eric Benet; the half-hearted '80s references and the haphazard retro effects.
It's so badly botched that it's entertaining ... for all the wrong reasons.
Nothing redeemable could possibly have come out of Kate Lanier's ill-fated script.
Vondie Curtis-Hall tries to invigorate the bland script by careening his cameras throughout the streets and club life of Manhattan while Carey’s glorious voice is drowned out by sheets of off-key cliches.
The best parts of this dud are the ones in which she's singing. This is what she does best. This is what she should stick to. Save your money and watch her videos for free on cable music-television networks.
A disaster like no other, Glitter has as its jaw-dropping highlight what I have to believe is the only scene of seduction by vibraphone ever filmed.
Mariah Carey should have taken an acting class from Marky Mark Wahlberg. The first lesson: start small.
It was almost physically uncomfortable watching the performances in Glitter.
If anyone does shed any tears at Glitter, it's undoubtedly from busting a gut laughing.
your standard-issue "I turned around and I was famous" melodrama, set in an implausibly wholesome-looking 1983 club world, where most of the folks dress oddly, but generally are just about as nice as pie.
If nothing else, at least it killed a career. Max Beesely looks like a porno Luke Skywalker...The Shaggs had more talent.
If poor Mariah Carey suffered a well-publicized breakdown prior to the release of this disposable display, imagine what she'll feel like to learn that she may have appeared in one of the worst ill-advised pointless flicks of the year.
Latest News for Glitter
September 23, 2008:
Mariah Carey Presses Forward with Acting Career ![]()
Give her credit for tenacity, at least: Mariah Carey, undaunted by the giant bomb that was "Glitter," is moving forward with several new acting projects -- including a drama in... More...
June 22, 2006:
Box Office Preview: Sandler "Clicks" With New Comedy
Although Father's Day has passed, Hollywood brings out two very different stories about dads and their wacky adventures this weekend with Adam Sandler's comedy Click and Tyrese... More...
November 10, 2005:
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August 30, 2005:
In Other News...Clooney, Downey Jr., and Eddie Murphy
The man, the myth, the -- casino king? Ocean's Eleven star George Clooney, the one-man Rat Pack Redux of the new millennium, has revealed long-rumored plans to erect a $3... More...
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