Glitter is a 2001 American romantic musical drama film written by Kate Lanier and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall. It stars Mariah Carey, Max Beesley, and Terrence Howard. Carey plays Billie Frank, an aspiring singer who, along with her friends Louise (rapper Da Brat) and Roxanne (Tia Texada), is a club dancer. Music producer Timothy Walker (Howard) offers them a contract as backup singers/dancers to another singer. At the premiere of the song they record, Billie meets Julian "Dice" Black (Beesley), a nightclub DJ who helps establish her solo career. In the process, Billie and Dice fall in love.
Carey began working on a film and soundtrack project titled All That Glitters in 1997, but it was put on hold in favor of other commitments with her record label. Following this, she aimed to complete the film and album project for the summer of 2001. Filming began in Toronto and New York City at the end of September 2000. Carey used the time to work on the soundtrack of the film, along with Eric Benét and Da Brat, who also appeared in the film. The release dates for the film and its accompanying soundtrack were delayed after Carey was suddenly hospitalized, citing "extreme exhaustion" and a "physical and emotional breakdown". The film was released on September 21, 2001, by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Canada and by Columbia Pictures through Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International in international markets, ten days after the release of the soundtrack on September 11, 2001.
Glitter was widely panned by critics and audiences and was a box-office bomb. Reviewers were highly disappointed with the film and Carey's performance, earning her a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress. This also caused the film to receive negative commentary on social media sites, with Carey herself later admitting that she regretted being part of the film. Some went on to call it one of the worst films ever made. Glitter opened in 1,996 American theaters and grossed $2.5 million in its first week, with a worldwide total of $5.3 million against a $22 million budget. The soundtrack of the film achieved moderate commercial success and went on to sell over two million copies worldwide, considerably less than Carey's previous releases.
Plot In the 1970s, Lillian Frank is an alcoholic performer at a nightclub in danger of losing her job. In a last-ditch attempt, she tries to rouse the crowd with her torch song, "Lillie's Blues", with her daughter Billie accompanying her on vocals. The effort fails and Lillian is fired. A defeated Lillian lights a cigarette but accidentally falls asleep, starting a fire and causing the building to be evacuated. Due to her mother's actions, Billie is taken into a foster home.
Years later, in 1983, the adult Billie is a club dancer along with her foster care friends Louise and Roxanne. They meet record producer Timothy Walker, who offers them a contract as backup singers and dancers to famous singer Sylk, who does not actually sing but instead has her voice dubbed by other performers. Later, at a nightclub hosted by Julian "Dice" Black, Sylk debuts "All My Life" and Dice figures out that the voice is Billie's. Impressed, he wishes to produce her, but Billie raises concerns about her contract with Timothy. However, she gets Timothy to agree on the provision that Dice pays him $100,000.
Billie and Dice start working on songs, ultimately sign with Guy Richardson of a major record label, and start to fall in love; they go out for dinner on a celebratory date and have passionate sex in Dice's apartment. Billie's first major single, "Loverboy", is a success, and she performs at an awards ceremony, where she meets singer Rafael. Billie is threatened by Timothy regarding the debt that Dice failed to pay. Upset by Dice lying about her contract, Billie leaves him and collaborates with several songwriters, including Rafael, with whom she makes another hit single, "Want You", and her debut album becomes a massive success.
Billie begins writing a song on her own due to the emotional pain of losing her mother and Dice. Dice also misses Billie and begins writing a song as well. Billie goes to Dice's apartment to reconcile with him but discovers that he is not home. She discovers the music he has written, realizes they wrote the same song, "Never Too Far", and kisses his sheet music. Dice, upon seeing her lipstick prints on the sheet, plans a reconciliation but is shot dead by Timothy. Before performing at Madison Square Garden, a devastated Billie sees the news report of Dice's death, and onstage afterward, commands the band to stop playing "Loverboy". She tearfully tells the audience not to take the ones they love for granted, and she then performs "Never Too Far" as a tribute to Dice. Afterward, Billie reads a note Dice had left her, where he tells her that he loves her and that he has found Lillian. The film ends as Billie's limousine takes her to the secluded rural property where she is happily reunited with her mother.
Cast
Production In late 1997, Carey began work on the project under the working title All That Glitters, but the project was put on hold due to Columbia Records' requests to release a compilation album to capitalize on the 1998 holiday season. #1's was released in November 1998. Despite this, Carey continued working on All That Glitters, but wished to fulfill her contract with Columbia Records, which had her signed for one more album. In 1999, she released her last album with Columbia Records, Rainbow, which included some of the material created for All That Glitters. On April 2, 2001, Carey released a joint statement alongside Columbia Records confirming her departure.
Following this departure, Carey signed a US$100 million record deal with Virgin Records (EMI Records) in April 2001. The record label gave Carey full conceptual and creative control over the project. It was announced that All That Glitters would take place in 1983, with the sound of its soundtrack following the theme through a modernized version of the 1980s sound. Carey developed the film's concept to be about a club dancer who becomes a successful singer and wrote the screenplay alongside Kate Lanier, who expanded Carey's original concept. On her character, Carey stated,
We start the movie and we see little Billie and her mom singing, and we realize there's a dysfunction going on and her mom's unstable. She gets taken away from her mother and ends up in a foster home. Then, we meet her two friends, Louise and Roxanne, who are played by Da Brat and Tia Texada. They're her extended family. It's Billie's journey to understand why she feels abandoned by her mother. ... That's what drives her to want to sing. She connects with this [DJ] character. His name is Dice. He's sort of like what the mother is in terms of semi-dysfunctional.
Principal photography for All That Glitters began in New York City and Toronto in August 2000 and was expected to wrap up in late September with a planned release in March 2001. Later that month, Eric Benét was cast as a character named Caesar after filming had already begun. The original screenplay, which was already finished, was rewritten several times on set during production and was often abandoned completely in favor of improvisation. Production experienced several delays and the release was pushed back many times. In early April 2001, the film and soundtrack were still titled All That Glitters. By May of that year, All That Glitters was renamed Glitter for the scheduled August 31, 2001, release.
Release and promotion
Following the commencement of Glitter and the release of the soundtrack's lead single "Loverboy", Carey embarked on a short promotional campaign for the song and its parent album. However, during the campaign, Carey exhibited what was reported as "erratic behavior". On July 17, 2001, Carey was interviewed on the program 106 & Park on the BET network. During the interview, Carey hid her thighs behind large pillows and ranted that her life was "one day that was continuous". Two days later, on July 19, Carey made a surprise appearance on the MTV program TRL. She came out onto the filming stage pushing an ice cream cart while wearing an oversized shirt. Seemingly anxious and exhilarated, Carey began giving out individual bars of ice cream to fans and guests on the program while waving to the crowd down below in Times Square, while diverging into a rambling monologue regarding therapy. Carey then walked to host Carson Daly's platform and began a striptease, in which she shed her shirt to reveal a tight yellow-and-green ensemble, leading him to exclaim "Mariah Carey has lost her mind!"
The next day, on July 20, Carey held a record signing for the soundtrack's lead single "Loverboy" at the Roosevelt Field shopping mall on Long Island before fans and the media. As a camera crew covered the event, she began rambling on several subjects before finally discussing radio host Howard Stern and how his form of humor on his program bothered her greatly. At that point, Carey's publicist Cindi Berger grabbed the microphone from her hand and asked the news crew to stop filming. Within a few days, Carey posted erratic voice messages on her website, which were soon taken down. On July 26, she was hospitalized, citing "extreme exhaustion" and a "physical and emotional breakdown". Following her admission to an undisclosed hospital in Connecticut, Carey remained hospitalized and under a doctor's care for two weeks, followed by an extended absence from the public. During her hospitalization, Carey was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Following Carey's publicized breakdown and hospitalization, Virgin Records and 20th Century Fox delayed the release of both Glitter and its soundtrack. The announcement was made on August 9, 2001, that both the soundtrack and the film would be postponed three weeks, respectively from August 21 to September 11, and from August 31 to September 21. When asked regarding the motives behind the delay, Nancy Berry, vice chairman of Virgin Music Group Worldwide, addressed Carey's personal and physical condition:
Mariah is looking forward to being able to participate in both her album and movie projects and we are hopeful that this new soundtrack release date will allow her to do so. She has been making great recovery progress, and continues to grow stronger every day. Virgin Music Worldwide continues to give its absolute commitment and support to Mariah on every level.
Carey's first public appearance to promote the film itself was on its opening day at the Fox Theater, Westwood Village in jeans and a black tank top adorned with an American flag, paying homage to victims of the September 11 attacks. After giving interviews and signing autographs, Carey sat in the center section of the theater flanked by security guards and handlers, along with audience members who had won tickets through the Los Angeles radio station Power 106. During her appearance, Carey said she hoped that Glitter would provide moviegoers an emotional escape during the attacks' aftermath in the country. "But obviously nothing can overshadow the events that have gone on, and I need to stay focused on that," she completed.
Fashions in the film were highlighted by costume designer Joseph G. Aulisi. Showcased was clothing by Soo Luen Tom, Luis Sequeira, Richard Saenz, Renee Fontana, and Michael Warbrock. On November 21, 2001, the film was released in the Philippines simultaneously with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. In Germany, the film was released under the title Glitter – Shine of a Star.
Home media The film was released on VHS and DVD on January 15, 2002, by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. A Blu-ray version of the film was released on January 3, 2017, by Mill Creek Entertainment, under license from Sony and Fox.
Reception Box office