# Sparkler (1998)

### reviewed by
Michael Dequina

    _Sparkler_ ** (out of ****)

Director Darren Stein's debut film is on the flip side of the coin occupied by his recently released, much-maligned sophomore effort, _Jawbreaker_ (which I actually happened to like). The micro-budgeted indie _Sparkler_ is as grainy and rough around the edges as the studio effort _Jawbreaker_ was slick and flashy. The "sparkler" of the title, trailer park queen Melba May (Park Overall), is as sweet and good-natured as _Jawbreaker_'s main character, high school uberbitch Courtney Shayne, was unrepentantly evil.

However, there is one overlying thing that the films have in common: in both, Stein is aping the voice of other, better directors. While he channelled _Heathers_'s Michael Lehmann and _Clueless_'s Amy Heckerling in _Jawbreaker_, in _Sparkler_, Stein goes after the demented vibe of John Waters. Our white trash main character travels from Victorville, California to Las Vegas to find a trio of young men (Freddie Prinze Jr., Jamie Kennedy, and Steven Petrarca) she met by chance at a local bar. Along the way, she and the audience encounters such Waters-esque touches as underground strip clubs and a butch lesbian wearing a T-shirt reading "PUSSYWHIPPED." The difference there isn't enough energy to the direction to hide the fact that there is really no plot, just some loosely strung-together of individual events; nor is there enough to make anything barely cross the "amusing" mark. (now playing in New York; opens in Los Angeles April 2)

Michael Dequina mrbrown@iname.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com

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