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(More customer reviews)Despite Soul music legend Diana Ross remaining the most successful female recording artist of all time (a total of eighteen U.S No. 1 hit titles to her credit) her movie career has not quite hit the heights of success it has often deserved though received an oscar nomination for her dynamic and powerful performance as Jazz/Blues legend Billie Holiday in Lady Sings The Blues (1972). Since then shes appeared in the moderatley successful Mahogany (1975), The Wiz (1978) which was a commercial failure and deservedly won wide praise for her harrowing performance as a paranoid schitznophrenic in the acclaimed T.V movie, Out Of Darkness (1993). In Double Palatinum she starred alongside Teen R&B sensation Brandy. The story goes that Olivia (Diana Ross - the character is a mere imitation of the Ross mystique and legendary status) is a struggling lounge singer at a downtown nightclub who abandons her daughter Kayla (Brandy) to pursue her showbiz dreams. Flash foward 18 years later and Olivia is now a massive star to whom Kayla - who is still ignorant of her orgins and is embarking on her own singing career - goes to for advice. When Kayla finds out that Olivia is infact her mother she agrees to let Olivia introduce her to some useful contacts in the business and makes it clear that its purley to further hrown career and not to form a mother-daughter bond as Olivia hopes. Whilst being a predicatable story and the scripts certainly run through a fair few cliches, the film is saved by the dramatic and convincing performance of Diana Ross. Her heart is clearly in the role and she carries the film convincingly proving that she hadn't lost any of that dramatic acting power and dazzling on-screen presence that made Lady Sings The Blues such a success. Brandy also puts in a likeable performance and the two stars enjoy a number of dramtically moving scenes. A tear-jerking movie that has a predictable but lovely ending. Diana Ross and Brandy perform many songs off their current studio albums of the time and Diana Ross' performs the exciting He Lives In You with style and verve, backed by an effective South African orchestra and gospel-influenced backing singers. She also proves shes still a dynamic diva as she performs the rip-roaring dance number, Carry On during the awards ceremony sequences. Both Diana and Brandy perform a touching, sparkling ballad at the climax of the movie, Love Is All That Matters which closes the movie beautifully. This T.V movie often careers along like a soap opera and whilst you could argue that this is purley an old-fashioned tale thats been done countless times before, its such a joy to see Diana Ross back on the screen who makes the most of her role, biting into it with a venegance and displaying a raw, instinctive performance, proving her undoubted wide range of abilities. Fans of these two singers will most certainly be enthralled by both the film and its accompanying soundtrack. Defintley worth a look.
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After nearly two decades away from home, a mother, who was driven to pursue her career as a singer, returns to discover a new relationship with her daughter, Kayla.Genre: MusicalsRating: PGRelease Date: 31-AUG-2004Media Type: DVD
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