Crossroads

This is, of course, the movie debut of sex kitten pop star Britney Spears, not the naff ITV soap. Britney – whom we first meet lip-synching Madonna songs into her hairbrush dressed in her undies – isn’t bad as studious Lucy, who reunites with childhood pals Kit (Saldana) and pregnant Mimi (Taryn Manning) to honour a pact they made as tots to go in search of their destinies after their high-school graduation. Travelling with Mimi’s hunky friend Ben (Anson Mount), they intend to head to LA to enter a singing competition, dropping Lucy off in Arizona on the way so she can find her long-lost mother (Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall).
But, as in similarly poppy films like Flashdance and Coyote Ugly, the plot really isn’t what’s important. It’s getting to see (if you’re a teenage boy) Britney in her lacy undies or flashing her toned midriff at every available opportunity. It’s Britney winning (surprise surprise) a karaoke competition en route singing ‘I Love Rock ’n’ Roll’, or scribbling down ‘poetry’ that you know will end up being a song about her feelings. And for those who remember the popster’s pledge of remaining a virgin until she got married, it’s the dialogue before and after her deflowering on screen that will lead to more than a few knowing sniggers from grown-up viewers. Funny stuff if you’re not a member of the Britney Spears fan club.