Glenn Whipp, Film Writer
The Daily News of Los Angeles June 19, 2003
You get the feeling 20th Century Fox doesn't have much faith in the staying
power of its latest offering, "From Justin to Kelly," a musical romp
starring the original American idols, girl-next-door Kelly Clarkson and the
chrysanthemum-headed Justin Guarini.
There are no screenings of the movie - period - which means critics will be
seeing it along with you when it opens in theaters Friday. (You'll recognize
these people because they'll be at least 30 years older than everyone else in
the theater.)
Then there's the matter of the home video release, which Fox had originally
scheduled for late July until theater owners beefed about the short window. (Why
book the movie when it will be available to rent in a month?) Fox pushed the
date back to September after exhibitors - including huge chains like Regal
Entertainment Group, Loews Entertainment and National Amusements - threatened to
boycott the film.
So where does that leave Kelly and Justin, the singers who finished at No. 1 and
No. 2, respectively, in the first "American Idol" finale last
September? First, there were the rushed CD singles, then a rushed tour and now a
rushed movie. The message seems to be: Strike now because that iron won't be hot
for long.
Naturally, Clarkson and Guarini say their movie is just peachy, but you get the
sense that they wouldn't have minded a little more time to prepare. "From
Justin to Kelly" was hurriedly shot in January with an eye toward an April
25 release.
"We'll be able to do any television show, any movie, any tour, any album
from now on because we'll have such a wealth of time in comparison,"
Guarini says. "In a sense, the pressure of 'American Idol' prepared us for
everything we've got to deal with now."
Adds Clarkson: "I like the rush thing. The movie was shoved in our faces,
but we're happy to be working. After 'American Idol,' and especially the tour we
did afterward with 30-something shows in 40 days with no vocal rest, we could do
anything. By the time we got to the movie, it was like, OK, whatever. We're so
used to being handed a job. We just got it done. It's not like we were making
'The Shawshank Redemption.' "
Indeed. The movie aspires to be a "Frankie and Annette Do 'Grease' "
for the hip-hop generation. Clarkson and Guarini cavort on Miami's South Beach
with girls in bikinis and guys with washboard abs. They sing, they dance, they
update KC and the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way I Like It." They
meet cute, get in fights, make up and kiss. (Note to fans: The pair says there
has never been, nor shall there ever be, any extracurricular smooching.) In
other words, it's fluffier than the hair on Guarini's head.
The assumption among many is that the film's release on Friday is nothing more
than a splashy kick-start to its sooner-than-later home video release and,
following that, Clarkson and Guarini will watch the clock expire on their 15
minutes of fame. But that ignores the fact that Clarkson's first album,
"Thankful," has sold more than 1 million copies since its April
release and that the buzz surrounding Guarini's debut CD (in stores last week)
has been pretty positive.
So while "From Justin to Kelly" may bomb, Justin and Kelly may be
around for the long haul.
"Kelly could have easily been a one-hit wonder," says Billboard
columnist Fred Bronson. "You knew her single, 'A Moment Like This,' would
sell since it was released right after she won the show. But now with the album
- normally I would have said they waited too late to release it, but it has sold
amazingly well. Radio and consumers have accepted her on her own merits. Pretty
soon, people won't even connect Kelly with the show."
"Kelly comes off as very real," says pop-culture author Hal Lifson.
"She's not manufactured-sounding like a lot of singers today. And her
natural, suburban appearance doesn't hurt, either. She's pretty, but she's not a
pin-up. It puts the focus on her voice, which is where it should be. She can
sing."
Both Lifson and Bronson say it's too early to make a call on Guarini's long-term
prospects. But the 23-year-old singer isn't shy about making any predictions
about where he sees his career - and Clarkson's - going.
"What's really going to make the difference for us is that we're both
writers and have other interests besides just going out there and
performing," Guarini says. "No matter how long our stars shine, we're
always going to be heard from, whether it's writing or producing or Broadway or
more film stuff. We have worked hard to make ourselves versatile."
One other difference is that both Clarkson and Guarini don't have the kind of
entourages or prickly attitudes that most young pop stars seem to regard as
necessary accessories. That may be because they haven't had time to develop a
sense of entitlement or maybe they've been too busy working to properly
formulate a list of demands. (It takes time to discover the best scented candles
- just ask J.Lo.)
Or it could well be that "American Idol" demonstrates that democracy
really works and that Clarkson and Guarini are triumphs of true talent over
prefabricated pop stars. Certainly, the "American Idol" steamroller
shows no signs of slowing. More than 38 million people tuned in last month to
watch Reuben Studdard defeat Clay Aiken in the show's second season finale.
Studdard and Clay both released their first singles recently, and Bronson
expects them to be huge.
"It's projected that Clay will sell 300,000 and Reuben 250,000, which is
phenomenal because singles don't really sell anymore," Billboard's Bronson
says, noting that a single can move as little as 10,000 copies and still be No.
1.
"These people have been through a trial by fire," Bronson adds.
"We've seen them sing a number of songs under the pressure of competition
on live television. People are responding to that display of raw talent."
Says Clarkson: "It's not like we were 15-year-olds wanting to be famous.
And that's what people got from the show. They saw there was more to us than
that. People love the fact that we came on the show, live, and we could have
screwed up in front of millions of people ..."
"And sometimes we did," Guarini interjects.
"And it was just us being ourselves. We weren't trying to be idols or pop
stars. We were just trying to be ourselves. People like to tear something down
that is good, but I really don't think you can tear something down that has
(millions of) people liking it."