Ìý User Rating 
That old chestnut "A Star is Born" - last seen as a 1976 vehicle for Barbra Streisand, in her bubbly perm phase - gets another workout in this hilariously inept showcase for soul diva Mariah Carey.
The film's US release was overshadowed by Carey's well-publicised breakdown, which in some ways was fortuituously timed - at least it distracted audiences from this charmless first outing as leading lady.
Abandoned by her mom as a child, Billie Frank (Carey) grows up in an orphanage, before landing a job as a backing singer. Then she meets Julian 'Dice' Black (Beesley), a hot-shot DJ who spots her talent and helps her win a recording contract.
In less time than it takes to say "shrieking stroppy singer", Billie - aided by Dice (now her manager and boyfriend) - becomes a chart-topping sensation. But as her star rises, his begins to fade...
Directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, the former "Chicago Hope" actor who made an impressive directing debut in 1997 with "Gridlock'd", this assortment of showbiz clichés might have stood a chance had it laced its corniness with irony.
Unfortunately, Carey plays it straight, an approach that only draws attention to her lack of acting ability, and the script's patent artificiality.
For all that, "Glitter" does contain one priceless gaffe that almost makes everything worthwhile. In the orphanage, young Billie is seen cuddling an adult ginger cat. Ten years later, now ensconced in her ritzy Manhattan apartment, she is seen stroking the same tabby feline, which looks not one day older. What can she be feeding him?
Who told Mariah Carey she could act
