...stereotype much? “Crossroads” brings a new meaning to cliché through its unoriginal plot and painfully bad dialogue. Still, it succeeds in capturing the pop culture of a generation and reminding us why we have moved on. The clothing and makeup seem ridiculous at times, but it is truly authentic and even nostalgic for those of us who remember “those days.” It also manages to preserve the good girl heartthrob image of Britney Spears that defined the beginning of her career. The movie seems to be unintentionally symbolic of Spears’ career as she goes from innocent teen to sex symbol... or perhaps it was strategically used as propaganda to present her in this new light. The acting isn’t particularly bad as one might expect. Dan Akroyd makes an appearance, we get to see a young Zoe Saldana, and Spears portrays some impressive tears during her emotional breakdown. The real problem with this movie is its horrid script and (sadly) the singing. The characters are complete stereotypes, the soap opera-ish plot crams more teen struggles into 90 minutes than one would think possible, and the dialogue is simply awful. There was one unpredictable plot twist that resulted in a good moment of realization but the rest of this story is so pointless and mundane. Most of it feels like an excuse to show Spears wearing next-to-nothing (including several scenes in her underwear). By the third car-radio-sing-a-long, I was ready to turn it off. Spears became less impressive each time that she interpreted another pop song with her distinctive nasal tone with that throaty sound that begins each phrase. I’ve always been a big fan of her music but I found myself thinking “Oh no, she’s going to sing again!” every time that a new song began. Sometimes it is worth watching a film along the lines of “Spice World” as an opportunity to relive the culture of a generation, but I can honestly say that the only people who will enjoy “Crossroads” are the ones with a crush on Britney Spears.
[Pictured: I miss this rendition of Britney Spears]
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