Crossroads (2002 film)



"This time, we didn't make any wishes for the future. We said goodbye to our past. Now, none of us has any idea where life's gonna take us, 'cause what we have is now. And right now, we have each other..."

Crossroads is a 2002 comedy-drama roadtrip film directed by Tamra Davis and starring American recording artist Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana (Went onto do Avatar with James Cameron) and Taryn Manning (Also in 8 Mile with Eminem).

Written by Shonda Rhimes, the film tells the coming of age story of Lucy (Spears) and her childhood best friends Kit (Saldana) and Mimi (Manning) as they take a cross-country road trip, finding themselves and their friendship in the process. The film also stars Dan Aykroyd (From Ghostbusters) as Lucy's father, Kim Cattrall (From Sex and the City) as Lucy's mother, and Anson Mount (From All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) as Ben.

The script for the film was developed specifically for the singer by herself and her team. Filming began in March 2001, taking place in Spears' home state, Louisiana, as well as Los Angeles, California. Britney wanted "a movie with meaning which didn't talk down to her peers and dealt with real issues" and no one can doubt it deals with real issues, pregnancy, cheating, running away, runaway parents to name a few. It's also subtly written enough that her younger fans around the time could understand it.

Tropes:

 * Adorkable: Britney Spears being well, Britney Spears uses this to her advantage
 * Alpha Bitch: Kit plays into this at the start with the scene in school
 * A Man Is Not a Virgin: Henry outright states this, this is why he has to lose his virginity before going to collage.
 * At the Crossroads: and HOW x 4!
 * Be Yourself: an idea subtly played into the movie
 * Cool Loser: Lucy and Mimi are this.
 * Coming of Age Story: And how for all those involved.
 * Lampshaded by the song title: Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman.
 * Convenient Miscarriage: Mimi has this after they get to LA
 * Dawson Casting: Anson Mount may have been an example of this. He was about 30 when this film was filmed.
 * Easter Egg: The DVD features Easter eggs in the form of diary entries/talking to yourself moments for Lucy and Ben, which are used as trailers for the movie.
 * Fan Service: Britney in underwear.
 * Follow Your Heart: Worked in with the Lucy plot
 * Four Philosophy Ensemble:
 * Lucy as the Realist
 * Ben as Apathetic
 * Mimi as Optimistic
 * Kit as Conflicted
 * Four-Temperament Ensemble:
 * Mimi is Choleric
 * Kit is Phlegmatic
 * Lucy is Melancholic
 * Ben is Sanguine
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Zoe Saldana (has been rather successful, particularly Avatar) and Taryn Manning (worked with Eminem on 8 Mile) are Britney's friends, and Justin Long (Apple ads, the fourth Die Hard) is Brit's first boyfriend.
 * Britney's parents are Dan Aykroyd and Kim Catrall.
 * Hollywood Nerd: Britney Spears playing a nerd, a damn pretty nerd at that
 * I Just Want to Be Free: Lucy mentions this being her reason for running away the first time and her reason for asking to leave the second time.
 * May-December Romance: Played with the Lucy-Ben plot.
 * Power of Friendship: Because having two aesop's is not enough, this is the most Anvilicious aesop never the less.
 * Rape as Drama: Lucy almost gets raped till Ben stops it.
 * Rebellious Spirit: Mimi is depicted as being this at school.
 * Sex As a Rite of Passage: Lucy's lab partner treats it all as this and it's played as this for Lucy at the end of the movie
 * Tagline:
 * Dreams change. Friends are forever.
 * What we have is now. And right now, we have each other
 * Two Roads Before You: Lucy-Doctor or Singer, Mimi + Kit-return to hometown or settle in LA, Ben-continue relationship with Lucy or leave her be as she's younger then him
 * Teen Pregnancy: Mimi
 * The Unfavourite: Straight as you can get since Carolyne had tells Lucy to her face that she never wanted to have her and that she was a mistake, abandoning her the moment she was born. She later had two sons to another man who she did not leave.
 * Travel Montage: Being a travel movie yes
 * Your Cheating Heart:  fiance turns out to be a major cheater.
 * A Worldwide Punomenon: The Title, they come at a crossroads in the movie in their lives, being young adults, who are intelligent, and talanted and have the world at their feet but have one or two personal problems which stop them from achieving or following a set path for them. They have to make the choice to go down one road or another.