Post by StevePulaski on Jan 19, 2018 0:12:57 GMT -5
From Justin to Kelly (2003)
Directed by: Robert Iscove
Directed by: Robert Iscove
Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini.
Rating: ★½
"The next idiot that tells me to 'stick to acting' should be forced to watch From Justin to Kelly until they agree I should 'stick to politics.'" - Justin Guarini, Twitter (January 4, 2017)
And with that, I agree with Justin Guarini's recent Twitter statement. Continue your humanitarian and efforts to raise awareness about political injustices, Mr. Guarini. It will be more fruitful for you and your career in the long-run.
It brings about a smile, an eye-roll, or an adorable combination of both to reflect on the time-period where American Idol not only had a place in the zeitgeist of American culture, but also was the sole reason for the existence of what is now considered to be one of the worst films ever made. Around the same time the reality TV program Survivor was considered "controversial" for showing scantily clad men and women while showing the same souls feasting on bugs as a substitute for a decent meal, American Idol was commanding an audience north of ten million people every night, including a jaw-dropping 22 million for its season finale in 2002. That was the season that saw pop singer Kelly Clarkson was crowned the winner of the competition with runner-up Justin Guarini coming in at a close second.
Blame it on the intoxicating wave of popularity, the rush from the instantaneous record deals that became official for the both (leading to Clarkson releasing her debut album Thankful and Guarini releasing his eponymous album in 2003, both under RCA), contractual obligations, or simply chalk it up to capitalizing on overnight fame that does screwy things to people's minds — something inspired both stars to sign up for a film called From Justin to Kelly. A hackneyed, artless piece of sleazy commercial trash that barely qualifies as a film, tailor-made for the two titular mega-celebs, the film is precisely what happens when unexpected success of two otherwise ordinary youths is seen as easily exploitable fodder. This is a movie clearly no one had any interest to see (the film made $4.9 million against a pretty minuscule $12 million budget during its initial run), and one whose billing as one of the worst films ever made would end up being its biggest selling point years down the road.
Clarkson and Guarini star as essentially caricatured versions of themselves, who are aimless older teens on spring break in Fort Lauderdale and come from very different background. Kelly is a waitress from Texas with dreams of being a singer that are as big as the state itself while Justin is a party-boy from Pennsylvania who makes money with his buds (Brian Dietzen and Greg Siff) hosting raucous parties for college kids. Kelly and Justin meet cute and all, but Kelly's friend Alexa (Katherine Bailess) does her part to sabotage their romance by hijacking Justin's texts (hieroglyphic messages with statements like, "I O U A BRGR U GAME?") and responding in the place of Kelly. Meanwhile, Kelly's other friend Kaya (Anika Noni Rose) falls for a charming busboy (Jason Yribar) and Justin's doofus friends embark on their own testosterone-fueled conquests; one tries to lay up with anything that moves, the other is hellbent on making good on a promise to meet with a woman with whom he's been chatting online for the last year.
The bulk of the film rests on Alexa's attempts to keep the two star-crossed lovers apart by reinforcing their different lifestyles and backgrounds. Kelly enjoys life at a slow-pace, while Justin flies at the speed of his friends. However, something changes when Justin meets Kelly. Perhaps it's love at first sight, or a realization that the modern, almost mythical idea of "that special someone" has dawned on him. I think it has more to do with the conventions of very simple screenwriting.
From Justin to Kelly feels rushed from the very beginning. It's a bare-bones project that doesn't begin to show why Clarkson and Guarini were lovable enough to capture the attention of the American TV junkie, and it never gives them opportunities to be themselves. Anytime there's an instance the two can make their own thanks to whatever chemistry they developed from months of working alongside one another, such possibilities are squandered by the inclusion of forgettable songs and utterly dismal dance choreography. The film's writer, Kim Fuller, is the brother of Simon Fuller, one of the lead producer on the international Idol reality series (something you just can't make up), and it's as if with every scene he's created, he fumbled through writing each one by summoning the swiftest ending possible just to move on to the next one to do the same thing all over again.
It's a dreadful formula that Fuller seems keen on repeating until the film arrives at its ending — a terribly executed dance-number featuring the entire cast, cameos, and likely random passersby with no experience outside of the "Cha Cha Slide." Only running at a slim 75 minutes, blessedly so, there is indeed an extended cut that runs at 90 minutes with two extra songs. Being the songs in the film already feel like a low-rent version of Grease 2 (again, a low-rent version of one of the most needless sequels in existence), I can't fathom the reason to subject yourself to an additional 15 minutes just to hear two songs whose melodies you'll probably forget almost immediately after hearing them.
On a final note, to further illustrate how dated From Justin to Kelly is in the classical exploitation sense of Hollywood, it is said that some theater chains threatened not to screen the film due to 20th Century Fox asserting they were planning to release the film on VHS and DVD not even two months after its June 2003 theatrical release date. It was an alleged attempt to assure the popular names of Clarkson and Guarini were milked for every dollar they were worth throughout the long, hot summer that year. When the film bombed and subsequently exited theaters just a few weeks after its release, it was released on home video in August 2003 like conceptualized; theater chains couldn't care less as they shredded and recycled the one-sheets for such a disposable picture.
Starring: Kelly Clarkson. Justin Guarini, Katherine Bailess, Anika Noni Rose, Brian Dietzen, Greg Siff, and Jason Yribar. Directed by: Robert Iscove.