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1. ON THE LINE ('On the Line All-stars') 2. THAT GIRL... (*Nsync) 3. UNDER YOU (Trickside) 4. DON'T LOOK DOWN (BBmak) 5. LET'S STAY TOGETHER (Al Green) 6. LET ME BE (Britney Spears) 7. FALLING (*Nsync) 8. DO YOU C WHAT I C (Vitamin C) 9. READY TO FALL (Joey Fatone) 10. TO BE ABLE TO LOVE (Jessica Folker) 11. MY HIT SONG (Melissa Lefton) 12. SAY YOU'LL WALK THE DISTANCE (Robyn) 13. TAKE ME ON (Richie Sambora) 14. CAN'T TRUST MYSELF (Blaque) 15. READY TO FALL (Meredith Edwards)

"A fun-filled romantic comedy that is perfect for the whole family, not just *NSYNC fans." --NBC-TV     "A highly entertaining romantic comedy." --FOX-TV     "It combines an 'Ever After' Cinderella story with a 'Never Been Kissed' theme, and throws in a little 'Sleepless In Seattle." --Indianapolis Star

*NSync's Joey Fatone Plays Wise-Cracker To Lance Bass' Straight Man In On The Line
Oct 22, 2001, 11:05 am PT

'NSync-ers Lance Bass and Joey Fatone are sweet, if a bit dumb, in their romantic comedy debut On the Line, that's, well, dumb and sweet. The film, co-executive produced by Bass, and featuring two 'NSync songs previously unreleased in the U.S., opens Friday (Oct. 26). Bass stars as Kevin, a shy ad exec in Chicago who meets the girl of his dreams on the L train, but is too nervous to ask her name (it's Abbey), let alone her phone number. His friends, including Rod (Fatone), and Eric (rapper GQ), give him the idea of plastering the city with posters to try and track down the young woman. Kevin's search eventually becomes a cause celebre when it's picked up by the daily papers. Bass is likeable as the romantically inclined Kevin, if a bit passive. Aside from the moment he puts the poster plan into action, he basically just reacts to situations around him. It's Fatone who really gets to cut loose as the zany Rod, lead singer of a pseudo-metal band, who turns in a particularly unhinged version of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It." Fatone and GQ are the wise-cracking comics in contrast to Bass' straight man.

A larger problem is the somewhat implausible storyline. It's clear that Abbey's just as interested in Kevin as he is in her, so it's odd she doesn't take the initiative and at least suggest going out for coffee -- this is the 21st century after all (indeed, a flashback shows Kevin being asked to the high school prom by a girl). And the comedic shenanigans do become a bit tiresome; you know Kevin and Abbey will eventually hook up, after all. But as light-hearted entertainment, On the Line works fairly well, and the film is peppered with live performances. The opening sequence has Bass and Fatone in a circa '94 high school band called Granite; Fatone also performs a raucous cover of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (and doing just that); and Rev. Al Green turns up in a concert sequence and in the closing/credit sequence (there's a new version of his classic "Let's Stay Together," among other songs). 'NSync's "Falling" and "That Girl (Will Never Be Mine)" also appear on the soundtrack, and Bass and Fatone perform on the film's title track as members of the On the Line Allstars, which also includes Mandy Moore, BBMak's Christian Burns, and True Vibe. The soundtrack was released on Jive Records on Oct. 16.

-- Gillian G. Gaar

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