For God sakes, Britney, we get the message loud and clear. First it was the outfits, which leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. Then it was the read-between-the-lines single, “”I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman,”” a less-than-catchy tune that’s currently seeping into our subconscious with every elevator we ride.
And now, its “”Crossroads,”” Ms. Spears’ decidedly grown-up foray onto the big screen that’s beset with teen pregnancy, divorce, abandonment issues, interracial relationships and infidelity. Britney’s growing up. She better hope her audience is, as well. “”Crossroads”” stars Spears as the third wheel of a trio of life-long friends who drifted apart during high school, but reunite after graduation with plans to road trip from Georgia to Los Angeles for a karaoke contest. Along the way, the girls must face the life-altering dilemmas each seems to be running away from: Mimi (Taryn Manning) is pregnant, Kit (Zoe Saldana) is engaged to a selfish UCLA brat who ignores her, and Lucy (Spears) needs to confront the mom who deserted her. To borrow a phrase from Britney’s beau, Justin Timberlake, the tattered remains of the once-virginal singer’s bubble gum roots have officially gone “”Bye, Bye, Bye”” – and it appears that Spears wouldn’t have it any other way. The film opens on the shapely singer in her underwear, harmonizing with Madonna’s “”Open Your Heart”” while dancing around her bedroom. Shortly after, Britney drapes a loose-fitting blazer over her scantily-clad frame as she prepares, post-prom, to have sex for the first time with her lab partner (played by a decidedly typecast Justin Long, riffing gently on his Warren Cheswick character from NBC’s “”Ed””). The deflowering doesn’t occur in said scene, but is instead reserved for the film’s final act, when Spears consummates a four-day-old relationship with the ex-con who carts her friends cross country. The symbolism of the scene is rich, with crashing waves and camera pans that caress the graceful Los Angeles coastline. On a morality scale, however, the whole thing feels bankrupt. To a certain extent, “”Crossroads”” addresses issues teenagers face. But by handling weighty topics with kid gloves, it makes it hard to take the film seriously when it decides its time to lecture. Director Tamra Davis (“”Billy Madison””) strives to reach the “”TRL”” crowd through costume designs and soundtrack choices, and at times, she completely pinpoints her audience. But in the end, she lacks the conviction to deliver a true message to them, and winds up saying nothing. With no legitimate solutions to the problems she’s burdened her characters with, the film starts pulling cliches out from under the rug, and the whole production comes crashing down like a house of cards in a wind tunnel. While Spears’ performance in “”Crossroads”” does little to deter my belief that pop stars can’t act, I will say that she’s hardly terrible. In fact, when paired up with a wooden Dan Ackroyd, who plays her father, Spears can resemble a young Jodie Foster – but that’s mostly a comment to Ackroyd’s horrific performance. Spears has been groomed to entertain for the duration of a four-minute music video, and she proves she can hold the camera’s eye without vamping. The real challenge lies in conveying feelings like sorrow, pain or loss – on display after she’s scorned by her mother (Kim Cattrall) for the second time. These emotions don’t seem to be in the pop singer’s bag of tricks, so Davis (wisely) avoids lingering on them for long periods of time. Still, it’s safe to say that Spears’ loyal fan base, and even a few curious non-believers, won’t be disappoiinted. Any mystery surrounding this pop idol, at this point, has been washed away by the interminable spotlight. So next time Britney decides to remind us she’s “”not that innocent,”” she may want to throw in “”not that interesting, either.”” Final Grade: C- By Sean O’Connell Feb. 15, 2002