Crossroads is a Britney Spears vehicle financed by her record label to manage her transition from a "safe" idol of pubescent girls to a sexy one for slightly older teens. She'll be lucky if they stick around that long. When the drift starts, her fame may be measured like pop diva Mariah Carey's in lost jobs rather than fans' tears.
It's a naive road-trip story about three post-high schoolers, one blonde and virginal (guess), one Afro-American with campus-queen airs and one pregnant, who run from home and crisscross the States to find fame in Hollywood in a convertible driven by a stubbled stud. After trying to lose her virginity with the school geek - Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On on the radio doesn't help - Britney finally achieves it with the stud, a guy with Hell's Angel wings tattooed on his shoulder blades as he takes Britney under them. The film never gets as intimate as that but does constant fade-outs at those moments of sex, or miscarriage, which might blemish Britney's image or make for an audience-clipping 15 certificate.
Dan Aykroyd plays her dad in a way that will reassure every parent. But on the plus side, there's a lot of pretty young fashion on show, including a full set of hair extensions that Britney remembered to pack in her runaway bag which come in useful when she raises cash with a quick karaoke rendition of a semi-sleazy I Love Rock 'n' Roll. The rest is mainly girl talk, and sounds like a low-volume hen party.
Crossroads
Cert: certPG
