Billie: Mariah Carey	Kelly: Ann Magnuson
Dice: Max Beesley	Lillian: Valarie Pettiford
Louise: Da Brat	Roxanne: Tia Texada
Rafael: Eric Benet	T: Terrence Howard
Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall

30 Second Bottom Line: A talented young woman reaches success as a singer with number one sellers and a sold out concert at Madison Square Garden, and learns that her dreams needed to bigger, yet smaller at the same time.

Story Line: Billie (Mariah Carey) is abanonded by her nightclub singer mother Lillian (Valarie Pettiford) after she gets fired and their house burns down. Billie is the product of an interracial relationship of a black mother and a white father, who not only does not want to see Lillian or the child, but when he does he won't even speak to or acknowledge his daughter. So now we know why Billie does not trust people after a social services worker takes her from her mother, and her father is the person who never was.

Fast forward from Billie as a young girl to her as a woman of the world, who with friends Louise (Da Brat) and Roxanne (Tia Texada) are back up singers for a group managed by T (Terrence Howard). When a well-known club DJ, Dice (Max Beesley), sees that the lead singer in the group can't sing and she has Billie boosting her, he arranges to buy her contract from T for $100,000. T will not give Billie up, but Dice tells T that unless he does, none of his acts will ever play his club again. That relationship is tentative at best until Dice decides that he no longer has to pay T the money.

That potential conflict brews in the background, while Dice gets Billie a record contract and before long she has a number one song. When the pressure is on to produce a wider variety of material, Dice is pushed aside as are Louise and Roxanne. This strains both the professional and personal relationship between Billie and Dice. Billie continues to mature personally while advancing her career. For things to be complete, she and Dice must find a way to resolve their personal and creative differences, which is much easier said than done.

Tell Me More About It: Liking a film has a lot to do with the expectations that one has. This is not as bad a film as some critics are saying. Actually it's not a bad film at all. That said, I was hoping for a movie that showed a greater maturation of Carey and a story that engaged me along the lines of What's Love Got to Do With It? Kate Lanier did the script for both movies. Possibly the difference is that this has okay performances and the other had standouts like Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. The music is better in Glitter than in What's Love but the latter is a far superior film.

We never really feel we know who Billie and Dice are and they are the main characters in the film. Billie seems to be a shallow person who focuses on a nice smile, fluttering her eyelashes and exhibiting a limited range of expressions and feelings that are repeated throughout the film. The scary part is that maybe this really is Mariah Carey and if so, that might explain why she's had problems managing her life. Billie is a shallow but nice person in the film and I wonder if that is Carey in real life as well. Life is more than singing or acting.

I try not to knock a film just because it has clichés, since for many people, they are not clichés. If you are a film critic, you see things repeated and it's easy to criticize. But most people only see a movie maybe once a month so there is no reason why anything that is considered good must be profound and original. That said, we deserve better. So many events in the film were clearly staged for the purpose of making the film that it detracted from the development of the characters, which is a key ingredient to make a film.

People's lives are more interesting than portrayed in this film. Da Brat and Tia Texada are the too perfect girlfriends; Terrence Howard is the sleazy promoter who on the one hand is too nice until he is crossed. Max Beesley, as Dice, is the bad boy producer/lover who, based upon his early actions, changes so much with Billie's success that it seems illogical.

I don't know if the vocals from Valarie Pettiford are her real voice but whoever it is needed to be showcased more in the film. So many of the events are staged for effect that a big mother/daughter duo reunion at the end would have been a powerful ending. This could have been a little bit more of a musical and less of a music video.

The music is quite good in the film and at some point, the soundtrack will be released. It was supposed to be coordinated with the film and a concert tour, but because of Mariah Carey's illness that seems to have fallen apart. Probably the reason the film was released at this time is because it can get some decent focus this week as the only commercial release other than Joy Ride. As we approach Oscar season, the competition will only get tougher.

Perception is reality and based upon the fine soundtrack of this film, Carey has more depth that I was giving her credit for. The girl can sing. However, the total image that you project is in part what people hear. If you think she is repeating herself, then she is… even if she is not.

Take another person, who was a non-diva by the name of The Minnie Riperton whom I often think of when I hear Carey sing. She had that long range of notes but the difference was Minnie was always more of a jazz type singer rather than R&B and the pop charts. But while Carey can make you pop your fingers, Minnie could make you smile, dance or cry. Breast cancer took her at an early age. She was into her music and how it touched your soul. If there is anyone around that could pick up the mantle of Minnie, it's Carey. But for that to happen, she will have to worry less about making songs that are number one best sellers. Prince still plays local nightclubs, without billing, to keep in close touch with a crowd that has eye to eye contact and can see him sweat.

The real question is what is the true measure of success? Should you do the best you know how and from time to time mix that with commercial stuff or just do the commercial stuff? It seems to me that one leaves you partially fulfilled and the other fades quickly after you exit the stage and the applause has died. Mariah, please get it together, not only for us, for yourself. You have so much to give.

Mariah Carey: The Bachelor	Max Beesley: The Match
Valarie Pettiford: Frasier - TV	Da Brat: The Andy Dick Show - TV
Ann Magnuson: The Caveman's Valentine	Tia Texada: Nurse Betty
Eric Benet: The Brothers	Terrence Howard: Angel Eyes
Vondie Curtis-Hall: Turn it Up