From Justin and Kelly . . .
Sharon Rose
FoxesonIdol.com, June 23, 2003
www.foxesonidol.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1263.art&page=1
The movie starring our first two Idols hit theaters over the weekend. Sharon
gives us a review of this movie that was never intended to be more than a fluffy
feel-good Spring Break flick.
"Ahhhhh . . . that was so cute."
The 13- and 14-year-old critics sitting ahead of me during the first night's
showing of the American Idol film, From Justin To Kelly, loved the movie. And
they are exactly the audience this movie was geared toward.
The title could have easily been changed to From Justin and Kelly to signify the
built-in audience this rushed-production film catered to. Lots of singing from
the first season of American Idol favorites, some very cool dance moves from the
stars and the extras (kudos to the choreographer), and even a well-placed
reference to Sideshow Bob (in regards to Justin's luxurious head of curls) to
bring back the warm-fuzzies of American Idol 1.
This movie is no To Kill A Mockingbird, and it never was intended to be. It was
just a push to keep these two attractive Idols in the public eye as they
advanced on their musical careers. And it allowed both Justin and Kelly an
opportunity to stretch their artistic muscles a bit in a fluffy, feel-good movie
that doesn't warrant the scrupulous critiquing of a serious flick. It's fun,
pure and simple.
The premise of the movie recalls the carefree days of Spring Break, when the
most serious concern college students faced was where the best party on the
beach was going to be held. And would their bikini be revealing enough to
attract the attention of the sharks who hunted out of the water.
The rushed production schedule of this movie didn't allow enough time for proper
script development or an accommodating shooting schedule (Justin and Kelly are
bundled up against frost – in a Florida beach movie? – in the boating scene
where the love ballad, “Timeless,” is beautifully performed). Even the jerky
bridges from one scene to the next, however, don't take away from the maximum
screen time both Idols share. Fans of Justin and Kelly came to see them on the
big screen, and this movie didn't disappoint. Other notables are the suave and
muscular Brandon (Greg Siff), dorky-only-on-screen Eddie (Brian Dietzen), the
good-friend Kaya (Anika Noni Rose), and the delicately beautiful and devious
Alexa (Katherine Bailess). Katherine's dance scene at Pearl proved she was the
professional dancer in the group. And although I loved the sweetness and loyalty
of Anika's character, I found myself wondering more than once how Tamyra Gray
would have done in the role.
The movie builds to the expected climax – the kiss between Justin and Kelly –
OK, I didn't see fireworks – and ends on a predictably happy note.
My movie picks and pans are as follows:
Picks: Justin's natural on-screen air and sexy dance moves; Kelly's
better-than-anticipated acting ability; the group dance scenes; all of the
songs, especially “Timeless”; great casting of the leads and supporting actors;
the girls' costumes
Pans: lack of proper makeup on the stars (Kelly is adorable when made up
correctly, but her make-up looked worn off and her eyebrows were over-tweezed;
Justin's skin tone changed dramatically from scene to scene); this was a beach
movie – why didn't Justin ever remove his shirt?; poor bridges between scenes
(the time frame references were for one week on Spring Break, yet the action
only covered two days); the overdone Sideshow Bob reference.
If you go expecting to find a lighthearted, carefree summer movie, you won't be
disappointed.