From Darren Stein- who would direct 'Jawbreaker' a year later- comes an odd and likable little movie called 'Sparkler'. Young Mr. Stein has a distinct style, although he has yet to make a truly good movie. He doesn't seem quite capable of pulling together an entire, cohesive film, but both of his movies thus far bear his slightly weird and skewed surrealism. The title refers to the film's main character, Melba May, a middle-aged trailer park princess with dreams of getting out and a husband who nails any and every woman he can get to lie down. She stumbled across three young men at a run-down bar. They are on their way to Vegas to raise rent money. One is Trent, a pie-in-the-sky innocent capable of admiring Melba May's seedy, self-delusional glamour. He is the one who nicknames her Sparkler, and Jamie Kennedy is so cute and lovable in his quirky way that it's impossible not to like him. The other two are more cynical- Joel, dealing with his repressed homosexuality, and Brad, (played by Freddie Prinze Jr. in his only standout performance besides the one he gave in 'The House of Yes') a boy trying to be a Hollywood agent so frightened by life that he has to hide behind bluster and sneers. A lost earring and Brad's business card sends Melba May after them. She wins them their rent money, tracks down her showgirl friend Dottie, and is relentlessly persued by her trailer-trash husband because, unbeknownst to her, she's won a million dollars in the sweepstakes. This is a movie that is probably best characterized as a black comedy, as it deals quite frankly with several unsavory and potentially offensive topics but does so with a sense of humor. It has an odd brand of charm, but it's charm all the same.
