Crossroads - reviews

+ Entertainment Weekly
- Chicago Sun Times
+ Brachman.com



















Entertainment Weekly
Movie Review by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
2/13/02

In ''Crossroads,'' Britney has been delivered to the big screen safe and sound, the way we like our 20-year-old superstar girls to travel on the fame freeway. More...
Rating: B+

Ironically, EW gave the best review that I could find. Entertainment Weekly has never supported Britney, I find this ironic, but awesome none the less.
Back to Top



















Chicago Sun Times
Movie Review by: ROGER EBERT
2/15/02

 I went to "Crossroads" expecting a glitzy bimbofest and got the bimbos but not the fest. Britney Spears' feature debut is curiously low-key and even sad. Yes, it pulls itself together occasionally for a musical number, but even those are so locked into the "reality" of the story that they don't break lose into fun. More...
Rating: 1 1/2 out of 4

I never, EVER, like movies that this guy does, so I can't say I'm surprised that he didn't like "Crossroads". Honestly, as you can tell even from the above clip, he's just rude. It's a teen movie people, what do you want. It was a good movie, let's just leave it at that.
Back to Top



















WWW.brachman.COM
Movie Review by: Jim Bracnman

How Critics Missed The Entire Point Of “Crossroads”

Critics are horrified by Britney’s debut film, “Crossroads” – actually reading their criticism tells us that they are, individually as well as collectively, full of crap.

Among many things that perturbed film critic Roger Ebert about “Crossroads” is the fact that Britney’s character, Lucy, has a romance with Ben (played by Anson Mount), and that, gosh darn it, Mount, in real life, is 29.

Britney, in real life, is 20, her character, Lucy, is 18, so it looks like Mount is “robbing the cradle,” blabbed Roger.

How retarded. I guess in all his years as a film critic, Ebert never saw a movie with an older man, younger woman romance. Yeah. I guess I’m just imagining things when I seem to recall everyone from Sean Connery to Al Pacino to Paul Newman to Robert Redford to Anthony Hopkins having on (and sometimes off) screen romances with women young enough to be their granddaughters.

And doesn’t Ebert’s sacred “A Beautiful Mind” come complete with an older man, younger woman romance (and marriage)?

So why would it be a crime against humanity for Britney to be in a movie in which her love interest is an older guy?

Oh, I know.

Because when Britney does it, it’s wrong, but when EVERYONE ELSE DOES IT IT’S PERFECTLY OKAY.

The truth? “Crossroads” is an impressive big screen debut for Britney Spears; she conclusively proves she can have a movie career if she wants one.

It’s also safe to assume we’re going to be seeing a lot more of co-stars Zoe Saldana and Taryn Manning, both of whom demonstrate talent and charisma.

Opening numbers are impressive. “Crossroads” generated a nationwide gross of 17 million dollars – that means Britney’s moderately budgeted film beat out the debut of every other film made by a musician or a band in history – including the Beatles, Mick Jagger and Madonna, except for one -- “The Cell,” which stars Jennifer Lopez, had humongous special effects and a huge budget.

“The Cell” came in at 17.5 million its opening weekend.

Let’s reason together. What do you do when you’re Britney Spears?

You’re living the life all but a handful of young women dream of, and you’re a woman all but a handful of young men want.

So when you’ve got it all… what is your fantasy?

To be normal.

Remember. Britney has serious clout. She could have been in any number of routine studio movies… ranging from teens partying and puking on each other… to vampires… to “Star Wars” rip-offs… to gender bending idiocy, currently in vogue.

Britney, through her agents and managers, looked these projects over; none struck her fancy.

So what did she do? She commissioned a project… a project based on what her life may have been like… had she not been a child star, but instead faced the kinds of issues many teenagers in today’s world must confront.

And for that, critics decided to punish her.

“Crossroads” isn’t a great time, but it’s a sure a good time, infinitely better than much of the junk Roger Ebert endorses (such as the terminally ridiculous “Orange County,” a vanity film made for the simple reason that director Lawrence Kasdan and actors Sissy Spacek and Tom Hanks have decided that simply allowing their children to inherit hundreds of millions of dollars isn’t enough, no, their children must be shoved down the public’s throat no matter how untalented they are).

“Crossroads” is one step on a remarkable career that is just getting started.
Back to Top