Customer Reviews

Crossroads [VHS]

5 star:		(161)
4 star:		(67)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(93)

 

 

CROSSROADS, a movie about three teenage girlfriends who have drifted apart quite a bit throughout the four years in high school. At the time of the movie the three girls, Lucy (Britney Spears), Mimi (Taryn Manning) and Kit (Zoe Saldana) meet back up at a special spot, and later begin a long journey across America. On this trip they discover something that they used to know, but had lost track of...their amazing friendship. This movie really is a good film about friendship and some of the most important things in life, that many take for granted. Britney Spears, along with her co-starring girls and Anson Mount (Ben) do an incredible job of portraying young girls (and guy) learing their way to adulthood. We all knew that Britney Spears could dance and sing extremely well, but did we know that she was such a great actress? Well, if there were any doubts about the extent of this girls talent, it seems that it's endless. Spears shows an extreme passion for acting and does it very well in the role of Lucy. It would be great to see Spears acting even more in the future. The movie also brings in some great appearances by Dan Aykroyd and Kim Cattrall, who play Lucy's parents, Pete and Caroline. If ever in the mood for a fun, campy movie that's a little bit comedy and a little bit drama, turn to CROSSROADS and your multi-talented girl, Britney Spears.

This movie is about three girls who were best friends as children but have grown apart. They are graduating high school and trying ot figure out their futures. Lucy is supposed to go to college in Georgia with a double major in biology and chemistry. Being the perfect child. Mimi has no plans for her future, but she's 5 months pregnat. Kit wants to marry her boyfriend who goes to college in California.

So, MImi says she's going to an audition in LA and taking a roadtrip out there. The next morning Kit and Lucy decide to go along for the ride - Kit to see her boyfriend, Lucy to find the mother who abandoned her when she was three. Lots of singing, lots of skin showing to be "sexy" (shoot the movie starts with Spears in briefs and singing in bed).

Surprisingly, the acting was fairly good. All the actors/actresses do a good job of portraying teenagers who are in between immaturity and maturity. And they do a great job showing how old friends can become friends once more.

However... everything else? Assuming this movie is aimed at Spears' followers, the audience was probably preteens to teens. At the beginning of the movie, it pretty much bashes virgins and that a guy who's a virgin can't make it in college because of the harassement. Spears wants to lose her virginity just cause. Lucy pretty much just runs away from her dad. Mimi's friend Ben, who is driving the car... nobody seems to know anything about him yet they're hitching a ride with him anyway? Everybody thinks he's a murderer, and three teenage girls just hop in the car for a 3000 mile roadtrip!? While on the trip, seatbelts are rarely, if ever, worn. At one point the girls are standing in the backseat singing. The girls get drunk one night, and although Mimi doesn't drink, the movie doesnt seem to be promoting abstaining from alcohol. Then, Lucy and Ben get together after only knowing each other like a week.

Granted teenagers do this stuff all on their own, but do we really need a movie advocating it? Because Spears is such an idol to so many young kids, do we really need her promoting these ideas?

And plotwise...come on, three girls going across the country for no particular reason at all? Lucy is going to see a mother who pretty much doesnt give a darn about her. Why not CALL her?? Kit is going to visit a boyfriend who doesnt seem to give a darn about her... why not CALL him?? and Mimi is just off to go audition - like you can't audition anywhere in Georgia. Ben..well he just likes California.

Anyway, although the acting is okay, the rest of the movie just seems to be about nothing in particular but showing off every wrong thing a teenager can do.

This movie has everything you could ever wish for to become an Academy Award Winner. With each passing minute, the plot thickens and leaves you wondering what will happen next. "What happens after Britney sees her long-lost mom? Who's the real father of the baby? Why did Britney give up her virginity to that guy and not to the other one?, etc." Such issues would have a profound impact on how the viewers would look at their own lives and would make them reflect on what they have been doing for the past 1.5 hours of watching this film. Indeed, the issues presented in this movie such as getting deflowered, getting pregnant without the guy knowing, running away from home to discover oneself and then found by dad and then to run away again to be with the boy who popped her cherry, etc. are very unique and settled in a very appropriate and convincing way as the viewers are treated to a finale of a croaking, whining, earwax splitting vocal spectacle which drills into the minds of the viewers that we should always remember to treat Britney as someone special; not a girl, but not yet a woman. Britney drives home the message that she's a little girl trapped in a woman's body; which of course makes pathetic, lifeless, looser men like me want her more. It's like reaching out to something so near yet so far away but then I just can't keep my eyes off her navel. I'm sure that Britney would surpass her mentor Mariah Carey in terms of acting talent and would get the recognition she deserves. With her starry-eyes transfixed on everything and everyone at the same time, she makes acting look so easy and dumb. Of course, it's not surprising because it seems so natural for her to look like that. All said, this film thrives on Britney's charm and persona, and nothing else, which is enough to make me patronize every move she makes and consequently, pour more money into her deep pockets so that she could pay her house, while I watch her from my trailer.

This is, in all honesty, THE most underestimated movie I have ever seen in my entire life, and I am not exaggerating. There aren't enough words for me to describe how much better this movie is ... Are people really looking at this film, or are they just trash-talking it because it's Britney? I'm sorry, but I just thought that this movie was really good! =) Britney Spears did a GOOD JOB in "Crossroads."There was one scene in the very beginning with her father when she was crying and saying how she regretted all the things she didn't do in high school. I will admit that that was a poorly-acted scene that was just a bit too corny for my liking, but that was only the beginning of the film, and Britney really redeemed herself after that. The rest of the movie showed her as a good and promising actress. If you haven't seen this movie and aren't sure how good it will be, trust me....she is not a bad actress. Not at all. In fact, her character reminded me a lot of a typical teenager who loves life, friends, and guys. If you ask me, she did a heck of a better job at portraying an authentic teenage girl than most actresses do in today's teen movies. I loved "Crossroads", and I am not ashamed to say so. You may be in for a huge surprise when you see that this movie isn't as bad as people have been saying. I hope people continue to come forward and give Britney credit for her work in this movie, because she deserves it.

Since not very many people have been able to write a decent review of this movie, I felt compelled to do so. A movie as refreshing as this is worth it, in my humble opinion.

"Crossroads" is the story of three girls (Britney Spears as Lucy; Taryn Manning as Mimi; and Zoe Saldana as Kit) who decide to take a road trip to pursue their individual dreams. Lucy wants to travel to Arizona to see the mother (acted by Kim Cattrall) that skipped out on her and her father (played admirably by Dan Akroyd) when she was three; Mimi has aspirations of a singing career and wants to head to California for an open audition; and Kit just wants to tag along to California to visit the man that never has any time for her, her husband-to-be. Close friends when they were tiny tots, they grew apart as they reached maturity, each taking the individual path that life has led them.

Lucy is the all-around brain and good girl who never disobeys her father. And - surprise, surprise - she can sing and dance, too! Mimi is five months pregnant, garnering a reputation that precedes her wherever she goes. And Kit is just a stuck-up, always-clamoring-for-a-mirror type of girl who takes wicked delight in her popularity and good looks. Little do these three girls know that life will bring their lives full circle. And that at the end of the road, they will be as close as they've ever been.

Now when I first heard that Britney Spears was going to be in a movie, I had my own conclusions. I had seen her act on an episode of "Sabrina: The Teenage Witch" a few years back; you could definitely tell that she was new to the acting thing. But then she went and did "Saturday Night Live" the next year and really showed the world that she was capable of something more. Her performance as Dawn Paslowski, the bad-to-the-bone Mousketeer, was particularly memorable. And after having seen her strut her stuff in her feature film debut, I can officially declare it - Britney Spears can act, whether people like to admit it or not.

Britney has a very natural acting ability, which comes across so smoothly on-screen. It seems as though she's barely making an effort; that's how real it looks. And she does more than dance, sing and smile in this movie - I was genuinely moved by some of the things the script called on her to do. She has two - yes, two - crying scenes, the second one being an absolute standout. There is something in that very poignant scene alone that deserves praise. It was almost a little too real. This is something you've never seen out of Britney. Anyone who slams her performance obviously doesn't know good acting.

And the rest of the cast is outstanding as well. Taryn Manning is a delight as the preconceived Mimi, giving her a strength and endearing quality that the character needed to have in order to make her believable. And Zoe Saldana as Kit is just fabulous - she touches all the right chords with the character. She can be fussy, she can be funny, and she can be moving. I especially loved the casting of Dan Akroyd (as Lucy's father) and Kim Cattrall (as Lucy's mother). Their mere presence in the movie lends a credibility to the film that otherwise might not have been there. Not that the film wouldn't have been able to stand on its own without them; it's just that with two high-caliber stars like Akroyd and Cattrall, it lends it that certain "star-quality" style. And just to note: Cattrall and Britney look so much alike in the movie, you really do believe that they are mother and daughter. And, of course, we can't forget about the hunk behind the wheel, Ben (played by Anson Mount). Mount lends a ruggedness - yet a very real feel - to the movie that definitely needed balancing out due to all the female goings-on. His and Britney's chemistry in their scenes together is definitely something to watch for.

As far as the DVD goes, you can't go wrong with it. It has a host of features, highlighted by behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentaries by the director and writers. I have never before listened to a commentary while watching a film, but I did for this film, and it was very interesting. There are several bonus features in this package, and they just add to an already stellar DVD. The transfer is absolutely brilliant - I have never seen a picture look so sharp.

I really enjoyed this movie. I had my apprehensions, but Britney - supported by an excellent ensemble cast - allayed those apprehensions. Just because it has Britney Spears on the cover, don't assume that you're getting a particular type of movie. This one was everything I didn't think it would be - funny, charming, endearing, scary, heartfelt, and most of all - real.

Kudos to the cast and crew for making a movie that people everywhere can relate to. I, for one, was genuinely touched by it.

Sadly, I am a sucker for films that nearly everyone has knocked over backwards. I want to discover, myself, if these occasionally hidden cinematic gems are still hiding or if big corporate Hollywood has just smeared them enough to nearly wipe them out of film existence. With "Crossroads", there was enough plague surrounding it that friends nearly shunned me for weeks knowing that this film was in my house, more-so in my DVD player. Yet, I found persistence, and I watched with open eyes - twice actually, so that I can fully develop the sheer strength that "Crossroads" had to offer. Well, friends, Romans, and fellow cinephiles out there, I can now officially add "Crossroads" to the list of horrid films that everyone quivers over yet has actually never seen. I have seen "Crossroads", and I can stand up on a soapbox and announce that it is not the horrid trash everyone speaks about, but it also isn't worth the film it is printed on. This was a cookie-cutter film, produced by Hollywood to benefit the distribution of CD sales and promote the already growing popularity of one Britney Spears. This was not a film, but a platform from Ms. Spears, and by listening to the commentary, you begin to realize the power that this young girl once had - I stress the word "once". Now, two kids and several tabloids later, I am not sure that this film could even see the light of day.

To begin, because that is always a good starting point with films of this nature, I must take a step forward and say that the acting wasn't excruciating, but it was painful. It was obvious that our three leads, Spears, Saldana, and Manning, were quickly becoming strong friends - and that friendship translated well onto the screen, but it was their individual stories and accomplishments that created the pain. In one scene, we saw this trio as little girls - friends without a care in the world - then instantly we are pushed into the awkward high school dark ages where nobody is friends with anyone. Riffs have been issued, and we are asked to rediscover who these characters are again. Matching them with their young counterparts is easy, but when their mouths open, it is another world all together. Spears leads with a hodgepodge of different characteristics. She dances sensually in her bedroom, unrobes nonchalantly in front of her lab partner, but is most avid about doing the right thing when it comes to morality and truthfulness. There is even one scene where she hangs up on her father, no doubtably instilling the correct visions into her impressionable teen fan base. She couldn't give us a straight character to save her life. Coupled with the annoying Zoe Saldana who tries the hardest of the group, but cannot seem to quite understand the life surrounding her. Then, painful to write, there is Taryn Manning (who gets better with each film) using every cliché redneck white-trash persona possible to define her character. It isn't bad enough that we have Spears fading in and out of her "real" character that to have Manning use "y'all" like it is Shakespeare - yikes. Again, the acting isn't bad (I have seen far, far, far worse), but it isn't Juliard - closer to flunking out of Acting 101.

I have mediocre respect for director Tamra Davis. The woman that gave us the hysterical and near cult-classic "Billy Madison" as well as "Half-Baked", has also turned out slow duds like "Gun Crazy" and, surprise, "Crossroads". Her talent seems to be all over the place instead of choosing projects that will continue to define her. Listening to the commentary, it felt she did this to 1) work with Spears, 2) she needed the rent money, and 3) it was an all girl cast - her youthfulness will be returned. Not exactly the typical reasons artist create on a blank slate. With Davis, I wanted humor, darkness, or anything that would make me remember why I loved "Madison" or "Half-Baked' - ANYTHING - there was nothing. Did I expect it with "Crossroads", probably not, but it would have been nice to see something that was uniquely hers. Road movies are made weekly, and it is those road films that try to bring something new to the genre that stand out and bring more to the table. Wasn't "Billy Madison" just a take-off of "Back to School"? I just question the ability of Davis without a studio baking and thankfully she has taken her raw, rotten talent to television only to further infuse the masses.

We are left with nothing more than the story. What story did "Crossroads" tell? How about one lone girl's quest to find herself and loose her virginity? Does that sound right? Again, this wasn't rocket science writing, yet it seemed amateur from the first word. We know who Spears' love interest is going to be from the beginning, the "take" at the end is given away within the first twenty minutes, and the only strength to this entire film is a scene with Dan Aykroyd saying "I was a Ghostbuster, a Blues Brother, and Conehead - I did this film for my kids". I believe that sums up this whole story in a nutshell. Needless to say, the story lacked any depth, and there was one scene where we attempted to bring real life to the screen with a rape, an accidental death, and our old friend, "underage drinking". Thankfully, Spears could push beyond all this and finally sing her songs near the end, the obvious finale to the film that was started. The ending point didn't match with the starting point in this film.

So, I watched this film. Everyone will have to at one point in their life, I just shortened the inevitable. Again, it wasn't the worst film ever made, "Glitter" still ranks below this, but there wasn't any value in the final performance. Spears didn't push for this film to be made because she wanted to be an actress, she wanted more face time with an audience that seemed on the fence about her ability - and as time has shown, we didn't make the best assumption. The acting wasn't horrible, but everything else was so we are left with a sour taste in our mouth coming from all directions. I will not, nor suggest this film to anyone except my wife, who thought it was better than "Clerks II".

Ouch. I will end on that note.

Grade: ** out of *****

Don't think that Britney Spears can move you to tears in one movie? Well, I suggest that you give this film a try, because you might be pleasantly surprised. I know I was. "Crossroads" tackles many, many serious issues, and for that reason, I would definitely say that it is not a movie for younger Britney fans. It is, however, a powerful movie that can teach you a lesson or two about friendship and dreams. Britney Spears was the last person I would expect to deliver such a surprisingly strong debut performance in a film, and all I can say is that I was really wrong. She's an actress, I can tell you that much. She starts off a little slow at first, but her character really grows on you, and her ability to act starts shining through. I will definitely be buying this on DVD, because regardless of what anyone else might say, this is a sweet movie with an extremely worthwhile message and a very good cast. I loved Taryn Manning's character as Mimi, one of Britney's two best friends. Hands down, this is Britney's best work so far, but the only way you can get anything out of it is if you watch it with a wide-open mind, and I mean WIDE open. Britney might not be everyone's favorite person, but this is a movie in which she really reaches out and brings to life a character you can admire and understand. If you really watch her character Lucy, you can see that she's just like any other typical teenager. She does a good job in that respect. I hope you'll give Britney a chance and watch this movie, because she truly deserves recognition for this one.

I had the pleasure/torture of watching Britney Spears' Crossroads. I will refer to the title as Britney Spears' Crossroads because everything in this movie orbits around Britney. Britney is the sun in this universe, and everything else is incidental. Besides ten minute long cameos by Dan Aykroyd as Britney's dad and Kim Cattrall as her mom (musta been some hard liquor involved there), every other actor is a nobody who'll probably be a nobody after this film is released. Britney Spears' Crossroads is basically a Lifetime Movie for Teens. The dramatic structure consists of Cry-Fight-Cry. Every character has issues, and in the nuanced nature of this script all of these issues are interlocked and solved over the course of a "madcap" roadtrip. Let's meet the characters:Britney Spears/Lucy: Britney is SMART, we know she's SMART because she's the valedictorian of her high school class and everyone calls her a nerd so she must be SMART. She's also a VIRGIN, who has issues because her mother ABANDONED her with her DOMINEERING father. Very, very subtle I say.

Black Girl (all other character names are incidental, so I refer to them as their stereotypes): Black Girl is PRETTY, see, she's very PRETTY. She hangs out with PRETTY people, and dates PRETTY boys. Her mother made her go to fat camp (I kid you not) so she could be PRETTY. But now she's PRETTIER than her mom, so her mom is resentful of her PRETTINESS. Trailer Park Girl: Trailer Park Girl is PREGNANT and SPUNKY, she's the town [bad girl] who everyone makes fun of because she's PREGNANT and she fights alot because she's SPUNKY Wounded Guy: Wounded Guy is Britney's love interest, and the guy who drives them cross-country. Wounded Guy was in JAIL but he was there for a NOBLE reason, so he's not "really" JAIL guy. So they all go cross country to LA for an audition for a musical group, and so Britney can reunite with her mother (ABANDONMENT), and Black Girl can see her fiance (She's still PRETTY though). On their trip they have mishaps and adventures, that are peppered with instances where they need money - but hey BRITNEY CAN SING, so maybe they should enter a karaoke contest to win money. JESUS, I wonder if they win????? Throughout the trip, the characters must all come to terms with their ISSUES. And of course the issues of ABANDONMENT, PREGNANCY, PRETTINESS, and JAIL are all wrapped up into a nice bow along with prodigious moments of crying as well as poetry writing (written by SMART Britney) that just so happens to go along with music written by Wounded Guy. This music suspiciously sounds like Britney's current single: Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman. This is obviously pure coincidence.So let's get down to the really important moments of film history: Britney's body. See, even though the Black Girl is PRETTY, Britney is also Pretty. We know she's Pretty becuase the first shot in the film is of her dancing around in her room in underwear. Lets just say Dan Aykroyd entering the frame in that scene kills everything. Later Britney is in a Bra and Panties, and then she shows her belly throughout the film, because the first rule of Britney Spears' Crossroads is to show Britney's belly. Must disappointing is when Britney loses her virginity (surprise, surprise it's to Wounded Jail Guy) we get nothing more than soft music and hands clasped. The Britney T+A build up to this point just fizzles. It was quite sad.Sadly, there isn't even enough Britney T-and-A to satisfy the guy contingent so if you thought to make this your "chick flick of the year", pass on this one and hunt for the inevitable Internet bootlegs.

Terrible! Terrible! If only I could get those 2 hours back :(

Wouldn't that have been a scary thought? I remember the hype machine going into full effect for the release of this film, and it seemed like it was going to achieve the instant, inexplicable success that Britney Spears's abysmal recording have received - and given her infamous ego, I'm sure she thought so, too. But this was not to be - the film was blasted by critics and more or less tanked at the box office. Nevertheless, I watched the movie with an open mind - either I was going to be pleasantly surprised or it would be 90 minutes of my life I'd never get back. Not surprisingly, it was the latter.

Think of the whole film as an opportunity for Spears to stroke her own ego: Take a tired road trip premise, throw in talented actors like Dan Aykroyd and Kim Cattrall to make the film look somewhat credible (both must have been hard out for a paycheck) along with some irrelevant teen actors and what you get is uninspired, formulaic drivel with no discernible purpose. Spears is unconvincing as an intelligent high school graduate who decides to bypass college for a potential career in music: in one ridiculous scene, she reads an atrocious poem to one of her friends (the one where she says she's not a girl, and not a woman either) who actually thinks it's brilliant (yeah - if it's the first poem you've ever heard) and turns it into a song. There's an unintentionally hilarious scene that features an awkward moment between Spears and a kid that looks exactly like Paul from "The Wonder Years": they are on the verge of a promiscuous act before Spears concludes that she's "not ready" - the exchange in the aftermath of this is downright embarrassing. Apparently they added this scene to differentiate Spears's character Lucy from the person portraying her - it doesn't advance the "plot" (of which there is hardly any) at all and merely acts as filler.

Take the most maudlin, melodramatic movie you can think of and multiply it by 100: that in a nutshell describes Crossroads. There's nothing you'll see here that hasn't been done before: It's just an excuse for Spears to prance around in tight clothes and underwear.

In summary: Unreleasable if not for the presence of Spears (everything she touched up to this point turned to gold - I still can't see why), I would have to say that Crossroads is not worth your time. Spears has no business on the screen and would be better served to add more substance to her music and stop singing through her nose if she has any hopes of having a career with longevity.