A few months ago, Britney Spears went viral. That’s not new for the pop star, who’s been famous since 1998, when her first single “…Baby One More Time” went to No. 1. But this time, it wasn’t because of her music or a public appearance. It was because she was acting.
Although the part eventually went to Rachel McAdams, Spears auditioned to play Allie in “The Notebook.” Every successful movie has plenty of stories of the people who didn’t get cast, creating a nearly endless permutation of “What if?” scenarios of how the film might have been with other actors, but when I watched Spears’ tape, two thoughts flew through my head simultaneously: (1) She’s not bad, but not that great; and (2) I’m so glad this video wasn’t all over the internet in 2004 when the film came out. Everyone would have been a lot meaner about it back then. If you have any doubt, look at how the world treated the actual movie she made during the time.
Musicians do not have a great track record of acting in films. For every David Bowie in “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” you’ve also got a ton of underwhelming Elvis Presley pictures. Björk stunned in “Dancer in the Dark,” but Mariah Carey was horribly awkward in “Glitter.” Pop stars are especially roasted when they try to show off their thespian chops. Nobody wants to revisit Taylor Swift in “Valentine’s Day.” Madonna’s stumbles in “Shanghai Surprise” and “Evita” are well documented. You may not remember, but there was a Hannah Montana movie. Especially in the early 2000s, critics viewed these films with disdain: Who did these singers think they are trying to pretend to be serious actors? The knives were out before the opening credits.
At the epicenter of this period is “Crossroads.” A teen road film about buddies who used to be BFFs when they were girls, the movie got snotty reviews and a plethora of Golden Raspberry nominations. (Spears “won” Worst Actress.) In the ensuing 22 years, the conversation around the film has shifted. “Crossroads” was hard to find for a while, but it’s now available for rental, and it arrives on Netflix today, February 15th, marking the first time it has been available on a subscription streaming service. Aging millennials will be interested in it for nostalgic reasons, while younger viewers may be curious to discover what all the fuss was about back in 2002. The latter group may be astonished by what they find: A totally disposable, utterly harmless comedy-drama meant to be a star vehicle. It’s been a long journey, but “Crossroads” may finally be on its way to being properly judged instead of roundly mocked.
The Britney Spears of the early aughts was at the zenith of her celebrity. On the heels of two blockbuster albums, she returned in 2001 with Britney, which wasn’t quite as white-hot but showed Spears, as she was nearing 20, attempting to amplify her sexuality on its slinky, provocative first single “I’m a Slave 4U.” (Key lyrics: “All you people look at me like I’m a little girl / Well, did you ever think it’d be okay for me to step into this world?”) This was also the year she performed with a snake on the MTV Video Music Awards and was deep into a relationship with fellow rising pop star Justin Timberlake. It was clear she was going to be around for a while.
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