Now, I’m no psychiatrist, but undoubtedly the pressure from these goals contributed to Carey’s recent mental problems. It also didn’t help this film’s fortunes when its release date was pushed back until, sadly, after the World Trade Center attack.

Let me say right from the outset that “Glitter” is one of the worst films I have seen in years. But if it is any consolation to Mariah Carey, she is not to blame for this debacle. Sure, she has no business playing a lead role in a theatrical film, but the truth is that Julia Roberts or Meryl Steep couldn’t do much with this turkey.

Mariah Carey plays Billie Frank (an assumed tribute to Billie Holiday), an aspiring singer who has had a rough life. Her mom, an alcoholic lounge singer whose talent was squandered by demon rum, gave birth to Billie out of wedlock. Not only did she keep Billie out late in unsavory places, she also couldn’t hold a job and was thus always broke. If this still weren’t bad enough, their dilapidated home gets swept away by a fire and, of course, they have no insurance. At that point, Billie is turned over to an orphanage. One knows that there is going to be a tearful reunion by the time final credits roll.

Screenwriter Kate Lanier has all the subtlety of a karate kick to the throat when it comes to conveying emotion. Time after time, one winds up laughing at the absurdity of the plot and the vacant looks in all of the actors’ eyes.

A grownup Billie decides to pursue her dream of singing glory. At first, she is a background singer for a model-turned-vocalist named Sylk. Unfortuantely, Sylk can’t sing for her life, so her sleazy producer, Timothy Walker (Terrence Howard), dubs in Billie’s voice instead. When hotshot club DJ Julian Dice (Max Beesley) discovers the “Milli Vanilli” truth, he approaches a star-struck Billie and asks to be her producer. The only condition is that Dice has to agree to Walker’s exorbitant $100,000 contract-eliminating fee. And though he acquiesces to Walker’s demand, Dice has no intention of actually paying him. This breach later leads to grave consequences.

Max Beesley is British but adopts a strong “New Yawk” accent. Unfortunately, that is the only decent acting he does here, and he likely got this role because of his resemblance to Mark Wahlberg. His film rival, Terrence Howard, is a dead ringer for Cuba Gooding, Jr. and sounds like him as well. Therein lies a key problem with this film. It is obvious that Fox Films wasn’t going to shell out the big bucks to sign either of those two marquee names, so they settled for these duds.

Saving a buck is also the reason that most of the filming was done in Toronto despite the photography being shot in New York. The only loud, heartfelt applause at the screening I attended was when the Twin Towers came on screen.

“Glitter” marks actor Vondie Curtis Hall’s directorial debut. Until further notice, he should stick to being in front of the camera, as the scenes are choppy and frequently far too campy. The two decent actors Hall has at his disposal, Ann Magnuson and Dorian Harewood, are wasted in underwritten roles.

Since she plays a singer, Mariah Carey is not asked to do much acting, so she handles the role of Billie Frank adequately. Wisely, she sings as much as possible and, in this capacity, does deliver the expected goods. With terrific, upbeat material such as “Loverboy,” a nifty remake of Robert Palmer’s “I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On,” and “Never Too Far,” arguably her best ballad to date, at least the soundtrack album is salvaged.

“Glitter” will no doubt make every critic’s ten worst films of 2001 list, but I don’t believe that Mariah Carey should completely abandon acting. Perhaps she should simply consider a supporting role the next time around.