Crossroads

  • Review Date: May 19, 2003
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Drama
  • 2002
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Britney bomb isn't appropriate for her young fans.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that in addition to one of the girls being pregnant (we learn later, the result of a rape when she was drunk), the girls get drunk (and giggle about who has "touched it"). Lucy has sex with a man. The girls take a very big risk by getting in a car with a man they do not know, who turns out to have a prison record, and setting off with him for California with no plans and no money. They all stay in the same rooms along the way. Some family members may be upset by Lucy's meeting with the mother who left her when she was three.

  • Character miscarries after falling down stairs.
  • Sexual references and situations, teen pregnancy, reference to rape.
  • Mild.

What's the story?

In CROSSROADS, Britney Spears plays Lucy, who finds herself feeling empty as she prepares for her high school graduation. She has achieved all of her father's dreams for her, graduating as valedictorian and preparing to enroll in a rigorous pre-med program. And she is about to fulfill someone else's dream, too -- she has agreed to have sex with her lab partner so that they can go to college and not be ostracized as virgins. She can't go through with it, though, because it isn't special enough. When her estranged pregnant friend offers her a ride to Los Angeles, she impulsively accepts. So does a third estranged friend, the engaged prom queen, who wants to go to L.A. to see her boyfriend. Everyone learns some important lessons, and the three wishes made by the girls when they were eight and swore to be lifelong friends turn out to be not exactly what they had in mind. But they learn that the friendship was more than they had expected, and that not knowing exactly what their dreams are might make life more interesting.


Is it any good?

 

Here is the good news: Britney Spears is a better actress than Mariah Carey. Here is the bad news: the movie is not very good. Here is the worse news: it is not appropriate for the girls who should have been its prime target, Britney fans ages 8-14. Instead, the movie has subject matter that is too mature for that age group, but treats those subjects without any of the originality, maturity, or genuine understanding that would hold the attention of older teens or adults. Its biggest fault is not having a clear idea of its audience.


Explore, discuss, enjoy

Families can talk about why it was so difficult for Lucy to talk to her father and why Kit thought that all she wanted was to get married. What do you think the girls will do next? How did Lucy decide that it was the right time for her to become intimate with Ben?


This review of Crossroads was written by
Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
This movie was cute. I liked it.

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Kid, 11 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Cute!
I was 7 when this movie came out. I wanted to see it so bad but it was rated PG-13. I was soo mad so 4 years later when I had a movie marathon I watched it. Here is my review: Lucy sneaks away without telling anyone. She dances seductivley and sings words that are sexual. There are some refrences to "doing it" and refrences to rape but overall the sex is no too bad. The violence is only one iffy part a character falls and has a miscarriage. (The character is a teen.) Overall this movie is not horrible I say Off for 10 year olds, Pause for 12 year olds, and On for 14 year olds.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
CROSSROADS
I love this movie!

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Teen, 13 years old
February 20, 2011
 

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Parent
October 14, 2012
 
I thought it should be Pause for 14.
What other families should know:

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Teen, 15 years old
October 14, 2012
 
I thought it should be Pause for 14.
What other families should know:

Flag as inappropriate 

This review of Crossroads was written by
Studio:Paramount Pictures
Director:Tamra Davis
Cast:Britney Spears, Taryn Manning, Zoe Saldana
Genre:Drama
Run time:93 minutes
Theatrical release date:February 15, 2002
DVD release date:July 23, 2002
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:sexual references and situations and teen drinking

This review of Crossroads was written by
 

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