Whitney Houston shines in trailer for 'Sparkle' [Video]

Whitney Houston's final film performance in the the Motown musical drama "Sparkle" is upon us, with a bittersweet first look courtesy of a trailer that hit the Internet on Monday.

Houston plays a mother to three daughters seeking girl-group stardom in the 1960s, a performance in which she not only seems coherent as an actress but sounds more than competent in her vocal ability.

Alongside costars Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke and a super-coifed Cee Lo Green, Houston, who plays a  strict mama, looks to have a church-choir number in the film and a touch of art imitating life. Houston's character plays a former singer discouraging her girls from pursuing the same career. 

"Was my life not enough of a cautionary tale for you?" she poses to her fictional brood in the film, which opens Aug. 17.

Houston's passing hasn't, however, seemed to affect the real-life entertainment-industry ambitions of her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. The singer's only child with Bobby Brown has been cast on Tyler Perry's TBS show "For Better or Worse." 

Get a look at Whitney's swan song in the clip below, then tell us your thoughts on "Sparkle" in comments.

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-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston play daughter and mother in "Sparkle." Credit:  Alicia Gbur / Sony / Associated Press