neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Glitter
	Vondie Curtis Hall Mariah Carey, Max Beesley, Da Brat, Ann Magnuson, Dorian Harewood, Tia Texada 2001 Special edition — widescreen; pan & scan; closed caption; Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, English subtitles; audio commentary by director Vondie Curtis Hall; two music videos by Mariah Carey; theatrical trailers.		Sometimes a film is so bad that it becomes a must-see for a cult of schlock worshippers. Like "Glitter," which was surely designed as a showcase for the dubious talents of multi-octave pop-soul diva Mariah Carey. An unintentionally hilarious melodrama about a pneumatic biracial singer's rise to fame, it's Carey's first starring role in a "major motion picture," and it's studded with what could be misconstrued as fictionalized bits of her life story. More obviously, it's a rip-off of "A Star Is Born," wherein a promising young actress (here, Carey as Billie, back-up vocalist for a disco "ho") is discovered by a successful actor (here, Max Beesley as a hot DJ and producer), then outshines her mentor, who falls victim to envy, self-loathing and substance abuse. Of her acting ability, let it be said that Carey is a facile, shrill singer. They threw in a tired subplot about Billie's estranged mother, a hopped-up cocktail lounge belter. And when the emotional climax comes, it'll make you cry — from laughing so hard.