StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

RyothChatty ridiculous rating

PodBill Just what I expected

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Reaper My, oh my. What an atrocity.If the insipid script and trite plot don't get you, then the flat acting and stereotyped characters (including Mariah's) will; and if you can stomach both of those, the photography will.There is one decent line in the movie: when Mariah first encounters escargots, she says, "someone went all the way to France for this?" Not bad, but a single line does not make up for the banal dialogue or the tired "girl gets everything but loses her soul" plot line. Even the sex scene looks like something out of a soap opera.As to the direction, the less said, the better. I've seen home movies where more care and thought was given to the composition. When artsiness intrudes, it is annoying and distracting (such as in the transitions. Not standard dissolves or fades, but intrusive helicopter shots of Manhattan. Other annoying tricks of cinematography: a few bits of slow motion for key moments; the digital distortion of the background in one shot). Finally, a bit about the music. Other than the closing credits, I don't think there was one full-length song by Ms Carey. Plenty of snippets, of course, but no actual songs. In other words, you can't even call this a musical.

ccarhart So bad it's fabulous. This movie bombed big-time when it opened, I saw it in the theater with an audience of 5 other people and have watched it several times since. So much bad press at the time! There was a rumor that it was originally supposed to be set in the 80's, but that part was cut out, only the wacky costumes remained. That would explain the presence of Ann Magnusona as a press agent for the record company. Mariah is sincerely likable and sings beautifully. The same cannot be said for poor Padma Lakshima. Sort of an R&B version of "A Star Is Born", you will find yourself laughing in all the wrong places. Every cliché in the book and then some. There is a fashion photo shoot with silver body paint, and an evening dress that goes from stage to farm in one day. A classic rags to riches tale that seems to have been written by a teenager.CC

epppie That means it's probably a good movie. And it is. Yes, the story is a familiar one. That's true for EVERY movie. Yes the cinematography sucks. That's true for a lot of movies. Sure, this is no Hard Day's Night. But it's got one of the best singers of all time singing some nice material. That ALONE makes Glitter worth watching. If you don't understand that, what the hell do you understand about movies? Three quarters of making a good movie is just putting a great performer in front of the camera. If you do that, you already have a watchable film, and Glitter has that, for sure. Mariah Carey's acting is amateurish, but it is genuine and emotional, and that's enough to hold the film's center. Carey's costars are all good, putting in performances that go well beyond perfunctory. They take poor material, in terms of writing, and they breath life into it. In particular, Max Beesley is a fine actor, sortof the poor man's Ewan McGregor, and there is a good chemistry between him and Carey. The themes of this movie are serious and the performers, if not the writers and producers, are serious about them; trying to find yourself and yet not lose yourself in the artistic struggle.Glitter's sin is that it could have been a much better movie. The production values are cheap and not in a good way. Writing and direction deflect Glitter's focus at key points in the development of characters and of the story. Carey herself has put her finger on the problem: it was apparently decided to shoot for a younger audience, as in a 12 year old audience, and the result was half-baked. It's a shame and a disappointment, but Glitter is still a movie with considerable promise that delivers enough to be worth watching, worth having. The amount of hate this movie gets is just grotesque. I'm sorry, but there are lots and lots of worse movies.

thesar-2 I had to see Glitter, finally.I've heard so many bad things about it and how many top 10 (of not #1) worst lists of all time it appeared on. I liked the fact that the only things I knew about this, was the cover with Mariah covered with, well, glitter and that it was (obviously) about a singer. I had never seen a preview, read a review or knew anything about the plot. So despite everyone's opinion – since 2001, I came in with a clean slate. And that was refreshing.No, the movie wasn't refreshing; it was deafening. I was referring to the open-mind going in.Billie (Mariah Carey) is a star born from her alcoholic mother on stage. Not shy at all, the little Billie sings her heart out. A star is born? Not so fast; we need some foreshadowing to mother falling asleep with a cigarette in tow nearly killing both mother and daughter. Off the daughter goes to foster care. She meets two friends…Man, I'm bored just recapping this melodramatic, Lifetime reject.Let's just skip to the rest of the ho-hum parts. She grows, dances for an early 1980's crowd, insert drama, gets discovered by two men, both of which use her, more drama here, and she rises to the top, ensuring even more drama.I can't say I hated this movie. It just wasn't good at all. Namely for the absolutely no-talent (in acting) Carey. Sure, she has a voice, but only a mother would love…to hear exclusively on the radio. I have never, ever in my movie-going experience seen so many fake smiles or so little emotion. Poor Billie (the character) as Carey has played her so…plain…that, quite frankly, I can't see anyone wanting to, or caring if either the character or actress succeeded or not. I knew she would, duh, the movie was as predictable as a Presidential race, but I found how little interest I had in watching her mope her way to the top.Have I failed to mention the incredibly idiotic, bargain-bin music video cinematography and the endless aerial NYC shots? How about the other thoroughly uninteresting stereotypes around her? Well, to sum that last part up, think of every single actor in this film and they fit that bill. I just felt embarrassed for them.Did Carey do this for a self-promotion? Did she think her smile was enough? (Oh, and by the way, she's not pretty. I'll just be mean for a second; she's not attractive nor were those HIDEOUS clothes.) I can barely see a three year old smile her way to warming another person's soul, much less than this wannabe actress do it – what, 87 times in this film? Did anyone watch these scenes while shot or bother to screen the film before it severely flopped at the box office? Seriously, how can one human being sit alone in an isolated screening room, watch this movie from beginning to end and say, "Yep, we done have gold fer this Glitter! Make billions, we sure darn will!" (Please tell me they fired this person, or better yet, let them drive one of the recalled Toyotas around Mulholland Dr. In a rainstorm. At 3AM. Without headlights. Having a seatbelt-less Carey in the passenger seat.) Though it now ranks in my own personal list of worst movies, I wouldn't put it at the top. It's just so incredibly boring, has so little emotion, that whenever a "special Lifetime moment" occurs, I could honestly care less what happened to who. If you can find the "drunk" 5-min Carey clip online when she accepts an award for her superior performance in 2009's Precious, it's more entertaining than the entire 104 minutes of Glitter.Ah heck, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sleaSKmd5Js. If this link is broken in the future, then a quick Google search "Drunk Carey Award" should do the trick. Save yourself the 99 minutes, and watch this instead. You'll get a heck of a lot of more emotion from her in real life than her so-called acting.