Reviewer's Rating 3 out of 5 Μύ
Crossroads (2002)
PG

Britney Spears' cinematic debut makes no effort to be anything other than one of those cute, cheesy, teen movies so beloved by cynicism-free girls at sleepover parties the world over.

The story's a well seasoned one. Three former friends reunite during prom night and realise that, despite their apparent differences, they still have some things in common.

Rather than rekindle their relationship over coffee, though, they embark on a cross country trip, chauffeured by hunky musician Ben (Mount).

Pregnant drop-out Mimi (Manning) wants to attend a singing audition, cheerleading Kat (Saldana) wants to surprise her UCLA boyfriend, and swotty Lucy (Spears - so we can't accuse her of being typecast) is looking for her runaway Mom (Cattrall).

During a series of mishaps, the girls bond and Ben realises he's travelling with some pretty tasty totty. He convinces them to head for LA to compete in a music competition (no prizes for guessing who does most of the singing).

Despite her overly made-up, gyrating stage persona, Spears manages to come across on film as natural, endearing, and extremely likable - happy to pull silly faces and allow her co-stars to shine.

Aykroyd and Cattrall are excellent in all-too-brief roles, while Manning and Saldana more than stand their ground despite some gruesomely cringy moments. (Mount merely looks amused and pleased to be snogging Britney.)

As teen movies go, this is distinctly average, but in terms of pop star vehicles (lest we forget Mariah Carey's "Glitter"), it's positively superior.

End Credits

Director: Tamra Davis

Writer: Shonda Rhimes

Stars: Britney Spears, Taryn Manning, Zoe Saldana, Anson Mount, Dan Aykroyd, Kim Cattrall

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Length: 93 minutes

Cinema: 29 March 2002

Country: USA

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