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Crossroads: Special Edition
Paramount // PG-13 // July 23, 2002
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
"Crossroads" is probably the biggest example of a film being different than its advertising. The trailers are all song & dance, showing the three lead actresses having a good time on their road trip. The movie is a far different thing, indeed, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. Spears apparently wanted a teen movie that went through "issues" that teens face today and to present these issues in a way that didn't talk down to the audience. The singer/actress actually has decent presence, too, and carries a few emotional scenes well. Essentially, what I predicted would be a road version of "Coyote Ugly" becomes similar to the Drew Barrymore picture "Boys on the Side".
While Spears deserves praise for attempting something a bit more than an easy role, she is not served particularly well by Shonda Rhimes' screenplay, which is not only predictable, but tries to focus on too many issues when it the film's drama would have been more believable and realistic had the script tried to focus more strongly on only a couple within the 93-minute frame. In fact, the movie probably would have functioned better simply as a movie about the importance of friendship - the movie stumbles when it comes to some other issues (Lucy decides not to have her first time with her lab partner who she's known for years, but falls into a bed with a guy she's known for a week).
The movie opens with young Lucy (played by Spears' younger sister, apparently) and friends Kit and Mimi burying items in a box that represent their dreams (burying items that represent your dreams doesn't seem like the most optimistic thing to do, but oh well). Years later, the former friends have separated. Lucy is a nerdy (Spears is barely convincing as a nerdy, straight-A student) student (although she does dance around in her underwear early on), Mimi is pregnant and troubled and Kit has turned into a popular girl who's got too much attitude and ego.
They unearth the box and, as a result, unearth their friendship - if only barely. All three friends hop into a car with Ben (Anson Mount), who's rumored to be an ex-con who may or may not be a murderer. Lucy wants to go to Arizona to meet her long-lost mother (Kim Cattrall), but events - such as a Karaoke jam - start to lead her to believe that she should persue a singing career; Mimi wants to be a singer, but I suppose realizes that Lucy is much better at it than she is and, last but not least, Kit wants to see her future husband again. There are a few little stops along the way, but none of the stops are too inspired and the movie actually gets unexpectedly more dramatic before the somewhat happy ending.
"Crossroads" really does steer clear of being a Britney infomercial for most of it's running time, but there are a few obvious plugs for her music - one of the film's handful of bad laughs comes when the audience finds that the poem Lucy has been writing actually contains the lyrics for Spears' "Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman". Outtakes from the film - mixed with footage of Spears singing "Overprotected", play under the end credits.
The performances are definitely mixed, but the younger members of the cast are certainly given more to do than the adults. Dan Ackroyd, who plays Lucy's father, simply yells at her for most of their scenes - it's a pretty embarassing character. One of the film's Big Emotional scenes has Lucy meeting her long-lost mother (Kim Cattrall). Cattrall, whose dialogue essentially consists of "we need to talk", seems to have realized this may not have been the part she originally thought it would be. However, Spears is actually sweetly sincere in the scene and has an unexpectedly convincing emotional moment soon after.
Tamryn Manning and Zoe Saldana, who play Mimi and Kit, have their moments to shine along the way, but in case there's any doubt that this is Spears' show, Kit and Mimi are Lucy's back-up singers in the end. The script puts these two supporting characters through some rough times during the story and it really could have come up with a better wrap-up for each of them than simply that they're Lucy's back-up singers at her audition for the record company.
Overall, "Crossroads" is certainly nowhere near the disaster that Mariah Carey's "Glitter" was, but it's not as strong and involving a drama as Mandy Moore's "A Walk To Remember". I really thought Spears showed potential (more than I thought) as an actress here, but the material really could have been improved. Although I didn't mind the unexpectedly dramatic tone to most of the film, the movie still lacks a certain energy and doesn't deliver enough surprises along the way.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Crossroads" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen by Paramount. "Crossroads" is a road movie, but the cinematography is mixed; there are some really nice shots of the landscape, but there are also stretches that seem like fairly bland captures of Anywhere, U.S.A. Paramount's presentation, while showing a few concerns, does still look consistently very good. Sharpness and detail, aside from a few minor instances of slight softness, remained pretty strong, with some scenes sporting nice depth to the image.
Yet, there were a few flaws to be found: slight edge enhancement was spotted in a handful of scenes, while a few specks were spotted. On a positive note, no pixelation was spotted and, aside from the brief specks, no other wear was spotted. Colors remained bright and warm throughout, looking well-saturated and bold, with no smearing. Overall, a very good transfer.
SOUND: "Crossroads" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The movie is really a dialogue-driven drama, but there are a few scenes of Spears singing that do open up the soundtrack a bit, as the music gets decent reinforcement from the rear speakers. The surrounds also add a little ambience to the proceedings at times. Audio quality was fairly good; the music sounded crisp and clear, but the dialogue occasionally seemed to sound the slightest bit rough.
MENUS: The DVD provides a flashy animated main menu and enjoyable sub-menus that are static, but have music in the background.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from producer Ann Carli, writer Shonda Rhimes and director Tamara Davis. The three women have been recorded together and deliver a fairly enjoyable commentary track. Although there's a bit too much time devoted to heaping praise on the film's star, the three do provide more interesting details when they discuss their roles in the production.
Break-Through Britney: Or, as I have dubbed it, "Pop Up Britney". If this feature is turned on, Britney occasionally appears in a little circle on-screen to discuss her thoughts about the particular scene.
Trailers/Promos: The film's trailer and international trailer (both in 5.1 - thanks for starting to offer trailers in 5.1, Paramount.) and a series of short MTV promos.
Britney's DVD Intro: Spears offers a short DVD welcome.
40 Days With Britney: "40 Days" is really a promotional featurette for the majority of its running time - we hear a lot about how great Britney was to work with and hear a good deal about the story. There's a few fun minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the three lead actresses, but this is quite a bit of what we've just seen. A fine one-time view.
First in Line: Inside the "Crossroads" Premiere: This is a featurette hosted by "Crossroads" star Zoe Saldana, who is taped while she's on her way to the premiere of the movie. Joined by her family, the actress talks about her experience in honest and fun terms. It's a fluff piece, to be sure, but it's an amusing one and Saldana makes for a relaxed hostess to the proceedings.
Taryn's T-Shirts: A little featurette with actress Manning that shows how to make the outfits that the leads wear in the movie.
Music Videos "Overprotected" (the Darkchild remix) and "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman".
Sing-Along: Sing-Along videos for "Overprotected" and "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman".
Edit Your Own Music Video: This gives users the ability to be editor for Britney's "I"m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" music video. 3 clips are offered - viewers can put them together in whatever order they choose and see the result.
Also: A surprisingly lengthy gallery of production photos & DVD credits.
Final Thoughts: Certainly not a disaster, but not yet a very good movie, either. Spears was very funny in her Saturday Night Live appearances and shows that she can basically do drama here, but she's let down by a screenplay that tries to shoehorn in too many issues and doesn't include much in the way of surprises. Paramount's DVD offers very good audio/video quality and a very nice share of supplements. Recommended to the target audience of Britney fans, who will likely find this Special Edition DVD very enjoyable.
"Crossroads" is probably the biggest example of a film being different than its advertising. The trailers are all song & dance, showing the three lead actresses having a good time on their road trip. The movie is a far different thing, indeed, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. Spears apparently wanted a teen movie that went through "issues" that teens face today and to present these issues in a way that didn't talk down to the audience. The singer/actress actually has decent presence, too, and carries a few emotional scenes well. Essentially, what I predicted would be a road version of "Coyote Ugly" becomes similar to the Drew Barrymore picture "Boys on the Side".
While Spears deserves praise for attempting something a bit more than an easy role, she is not served particularly well by Shonda Rhimes' screenplay, which is not only predictable, but tries to focus on too many issues when it the film's drama would have been more believable and realistic had the script tried to focus more strongly on only a couple within the 93-minute frame. In fact, the movie probably would have functioned better simply as a movie about the importance of friendship - the movie stumbles when it comes to some other issues (Lucy decides not to have her first time with her lab partner who she's known for years, but falls into a bed with a guy she's known for a week).
The movie opens with young Lucy (played by Spears' younger sister, apparently) and friends Kit and Mimi burying items in a box that represent their dreams (burying items that represent your dreams doesn't seem like the most optimistic thing to do, but oh well). Years later, the former friends have separated. Lucy is a nerdy (Spears is barely convincing as a nerdy, straight-A student) student (although she does dance around in her underwear early on), Mimi is pregnant and troubled and Kit has turned into a popular girl who's got too much attitude and ego.
They unearth the box and, as a result, unearth their friendship - if only barely. All three friends hop into a car with Ben (Anson Mount), who's rumored to be an ex-con who may or may not be a murderer. Lucy wants to go to Arizona to meet her long-lost mother (Kim Cattrall), but events - such as a Karaoke jam - start to lead her to believe that she should persue a singing career; Mimi wants to be a singer, but I suppose realizes that Lucy is much better at it than she is and, last but not least, Kit wants to see her future husband again. There are a few little stops along the way, but none of the stops are too inspired and the movie actually gets unexpectedly more dramatic before the somewhat happy ending.
"Crossroads" really does steer clear of being a Britney infomercial for most of it's running time, but there are a few obvious plugs for her music - one of the film's handful of bad laughs comes when the audience finds that the poem Lucy has been writing actually contains the lyrics for Spears' "Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman". Outtakes from the film - mixed with footage of Spears singing "Overprotected", play under the end credits.
The performances are definitely mixed, but the younger members of the cast are certainly given more to do than the adults. Dan Ackroyd, who plays Lucy's father, simply yells at her for most of their scenes - it's a pretty embarassing character. One of the film's Big Emotional scenes has Lucy meeting her long-lost mother (Kim Cattrall). Cattrall, whose dialogue essentially consists of "we need to talk", seems to have realized this may not have been the part she originally thought it would be. However, Spears is actually sweetly sincere in the scene and has an unexpectedly convincing emotional moment soon after.
Tamryn Manning and Zoe Saldana, who play Mimi and Kit, have their moments to shine along the way, but in case there's any doubt that this is Spears' show, Kit and Mimi are Lucy's back-up singers in the end. The script puts these two supporting characters through some rough times during the story and it really could have come up with a better wrap-up for each of them than simply that they're Lucy's back-up singers at her audition for the record company.
Overall, "Crossroads" is certainly nowhere near the disaster that Mariah Carey's "Glitter" was, but it's not as strong and involving a drama as Mandy Moore's "A Walk To Remember". I really thought Spears showed potential (more than I thought) as an actress here, but the material really could have been improved. Although I didn't mind the unexpectedly dramatic tone to most of the film, the movie still lacks a certain energy and doesn't deliver enough surprises along the way.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Crossroads" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen by Paramount. "Crossroads" is a road movie, but the cinematography is mixed; there are some really nice shots of the landscape, but there are also stretches that seem like fairly bland captures of Anywhere, U.S.A. Paramount's presentation, while showing a few concerns, does still look consistently very good. Sharpness and detail, aside from a few minor instances of slight softness, remained pretty strong, with some scenes sporting nice depth to the image.
Yet, there were a few flaws to be found: slight edge enhancement was spotted in a handful of scenes, while a few specks were spotted. On a positive note, no pixelation was spotted and, aside from the brief specks, no other wear was spotted. Colors remained bright and warm throughout, looking well-saturated and bold, with no smearing. Overall, a very good transfer.
SOUND: "Crossroads" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The movie is really a dialogue-driven drama, but there are a few scenes of Spears singing that do open up the soundtrack a bit, as the music gets decent reinforcement from the rear speakers. The surrounds also add a little ambience to the proceedings at times. Audio quality was fairly good; the music sounded crisp and clear, but the dialogue occasionally seemed to sound the slightest bit rough.
MENUS: The DVD provides a flashy animated main menu and enjoyable sub-menus that are static, but have music in the background.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from producer Ann Carli, writer Shonda Rhimes and director Tamara Davis. The three women have been recorded together and deliver a fairly enjoyable commentary track. Although there's a bit too much time devoted to heaping praise on the film's star, the three do provide more interesting details when they discuss their roles in the production.
Break-Through Britney: Or, as I have dubbed it, "Pop Up Britney". If this feature is turned on, Britney occasionally appears in a little circle on-screen to discuss her thoughts about the particular scene.
Trailers/Promos: The film's trailer and international trailer (both in 5.1 - thanks for starting to offer trailers in 5.1, Paramount.) and a series of short MTV promos.
Britney's DVD Intro: Spears offers a short DVD welcome.
40 Days With Britney: "40 Days" is really a promotional featurette for the majority of its running time - we hear a lot about how great Britney was to work with and hear a good deal about the story. There's a few fun minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the three lead actresses, but this is quite a bit of what we've just seen. A fine one-time view.
First in Line: Inside the "Crossroads" Premiere: This is a featurette hosted by "Crossroads" star Zoe Saldana, who is taped while she's on her way to the premiere of the movie. Joined by her family, the actress talks about her experience in honest and fun terms. It's a fluff piece, to be sure, but it's an amusing one and Saldana makes for a relaxed hostess to the proceedings.
Taryn's T-Shirts: A little featurette with actress Manning that shows how to make the outfits that the leads wear in the movie.
Music Videos "Overprotected" (the Darkchild remix) and "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman".
Sing-Along: Sing-Along videos for "Overprotected" and "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman".
Edit Your Own Music Video: This gives users the ability to be editor for Britney's "I"m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" music video. 3 clips are offered - viewers can put them together in whatever order they choose and see the result.
Also: A surprisingly lengthy gallery of production photos & DVD credits.
Final Thoughts: Certainly not a disaster, but not yet a very good movie, either. Spears was very funny in her Saturday Night Live appearances and shows that she can basically do drama here, but she's let down by a screenplay that tries to shoehorn in too many issues and doesn't include much in the way of surprises. Paramount's DVD offers very good audio/video quality and a very nice share of supplements. Recommended to the target audience of Britney fans, who will likely find this Special Edition DVD very enjoyable.
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