Crossroads

Starring: Britney Spears, Anson Mount, Zoe Saldana, Taryn Manning, Dan Aykroyd, Kim Cattrall
Directed by: Tamra Davis
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Box Office: $37,191,304
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Coming-of-age movie about three teens, Lucy (Britney Spears), Kit (Zoe Saldana), and Mimi (Taryn Manning) who go on a cross country trip with musician Ben (Anson Mount)- Lucy is going to meet her mother for the first time, Kit is going to visit her boyfriend in LA, and Kit is going to compete in a recording contest. Along the way, they shed their prejudices and becomes friends.

Review:

Tim: The main reason most people would see this movie is to see Britney Spears' film debut. This is not a good enough reason to see a movie, and certainly does not bode too well for this film. The first scene has the three girls eight years earlier, burying a memory box in the ground. The scene is pretty cheesy, and I asked myself, "What have I gotten myself into here?" However, the very next scene has a very grown-up Britney Spears dancing in her pink underwear to a Madonna song. This shows both main components to this movie- it is supposed to be a touching tale of friends, but it really just wants to showcase Spears. This is where the film is the weakest. It tries to be two different things and fails at both.

A funny scene to mention is early on when Lucy and her lab partner (I think he might have been her boyfriend too) debate having sex in a hotel room. The look of sheer agony on his face when he realizes she's not going to go through with it is priceless, and immediately sums up the feelings of most of the men watching the film.

The film is actually quite good to watch if you're male. You sympathize entirely with Ben in the car as the three girls sing to "Bye Bye Bye"- and you want to hug the guy when he changes the station to shut them and that godawful song up.

The film does have its flaws. Ben's character isn't the greatest ever. The entire film, it feels like his mind is narrowly focused on only one thing. He has some corny lines, referring to his car as "The Cruiser" and complaining that "chicks have taken over his car." Ugh.

In all seriousness, Spears actually does an very good job in her feature film debut. She does have moments that reveal her inexperience in acting, but in other moments, she truly shines.

The film itself is actually more about Kit and Mimi than it is about Lucy. Kit is the most popular girl in the school, and Mimi is "trailer trash." The most touching scenes in the play don't involve Lucy or Ben, but involve the two girls on opposing sides of the high school popularity spectrum. The film is definitely Spears' vehicle, and wants to be focused mainly on her. However, it is refreshing to know that even if it wasn't intended, the real meat of the film isn't about Spears flaunting her sexuality. Its about two girls that had their friendship torn apart because of the pressures of high school, and during a road trip, find themselves, and rekindle their friendship. Spears dancing around in her underwear and singing "Not a Girl Not Yet a Woman" doesn't make this movie what it is.

On another note, I really tried to dislike Anson Mount. He didn't seem to be a likeable guy, but he does an excellent job with the material he has to work with, and in the end, is pretty likeable (but not a whole lot).

Oh! Another note, watch for the line where Spears says, "I'm so sick and tired of the two of you bitching and fighting every damn minute of the day"- the line cracks me up because Spears can't deliver the swear words correctly, and it just shows the immaturity of her acting ability. The words ust don't sound right coming out of her mouth, and she needs to make sure she doesn't compromise herself for a role, because in the end, she just looks foolish.

All in all, Crossroads is a surprisingly good movie. It has flaws... man, it has flaws. But, all things considering, Spears' debut film isn't half bad, and shows promise for future endeavors. Girls will like the film for showing a coming of age story of three young ladies and there's always positivity in films like that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: 10 Things I Hate About You, A Walk to Remember,