From Justin to Kelly
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''From Justin to Kelly'' is a 2003 American
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film written by
Kim Fuller Kim Fuller (born 15 June 1951 in Hastings, England) is an English writer for film, radio and television. He is the brother of music manager and ''Idols'' series creator Simon Fuller. Career Kim Fuller has been writing for television for over 40 ye ...
and directed by
Robert Iscove Robert Iscove is a Canadian film and television director, television producer and a choreographer. Filmography * ''Love and Larceny (1985 film), Love and Larceny'' (1985, TV) * ''The Lawrenceville Stories'' (1987-1989, miniseries) * ''Shattered ...
. The film, starring ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' first season winner
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
and runner-up
Justin Guarini Justin Guarini (born Justin Eldrin Bell; October 28, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and actor who in 2002 was the runner-up on the first season of ''American Idol''. Early life Guarini was born in Columbus, Georgia. His father, Eldr ...
, won the
Golden Raspberry Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...
for "Worst 'Musical' of Our First 25 Years" in 2005. This film is often regarded as one of the worst movies ever made.


Plot

In
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, Kelly Taylor works as a waitress and singer at a bar, where many of the cowboy clientele, including Luke, flirt with her. She is invited by her college classmates Alexa and Kaya to vacation in
Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
for spring break. Although she generally finds the usual spring break partying and sexual activities demeaning, she accepts the offer to escape from her miserable job. Meanwhile,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
n college student Justin Bell is also in Miami with his friends Brandon and Eddie running the BR&J party promoter business. Brandon is just interested in one-night stands, while Eddie is a geek who is trying to meet up with his internet girlfriend Lizzie. When Kelly, Alexa, and Kaya arrive they dance at a beach concert ("The Bounce (The Luv)"), where Kelly first encounters Justin. Kelly and her friends watch as Justin and Brandon give Eddie dating advice ("Brandon's Rap"), but leave when Brandon
moons A natural satellite is, in the most common usage, an astronomical body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or small Solar System body (or sometimes another natural satellite). Natural satellites are often colloquially referred to as ''moons'' ...
them and Brandon is given a ticket by police officer Cutler. Later, Justin and Kelly look for each other at a party ("Forever Part of Me"). They meet in a bathroom, where Kelly draws her phone number on a napkin and tosses it to him, but it misses and it falls in a puddle. Justin asks Alexa for Kelly's number, but she gives him her own number instead and says it's Kelly's. Later that night she texts Justin, pretending to be Kelly, and says she's not interested in him. Meanwhile, Kaya starts seeing a busboy, Carlos, and they visit a
Salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...
club together ("It's Meant to Be"). The next day, Alexa signs Kelly up for BR&J's whipped cream
bikini contest A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coverin ...
so that she can see what kind of person Justin really is. Kelly is initially angry at Justin for participating in such a degrading contest, but they run into each other at a food truck and she agrees to go on a boat ride with him. They bond on the boat ("Timeless") and agree to meet at the beach the next night. Meanwhile, Brandon gets a ticket from Cutler for hosting the contest without a permit, and Kaya complains to Carlos' boss about how he's treating him, which results in Carlos being fired. Alexa texts Justin, pretending to be Kelly and tells him to meet at a bar instead of the beach. Alexa sings about how she is wishing for love ("Wish Upon a Star"), and when Justin shows up she tells him that Kelly has a boyfriend back home, and calls Luke and asks him to come to Florida. Eddie continues to look for his online date, but gets beat up by a jock and misses their rendezvous. Later, Kelly is upset at Justin for not showing up at the beach ("Madness"), and Luke shows up and claims Kelly is his girlfriend. Luke and Justin start to fight but agree to settle things with a
hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...
race. Luke is injured, and Brandon gets a ticket from Cutler for gambling on the race. Justin asks Alexa for advice on how to win Kelly back, but Alexa kisses him, which Kelly sees. Carlos gets angry at Kaya for interfering with his life but later realizes that he should've stood up to his boss sooner, and apologizes to Kaya by arranging a romantic dinner for the two of them in a pool. At a bar that night, Kelly picks up Alexa's phone and sees the messages between her and Justin, and Alexa confesses that she was jealous of all the attention Kelly gets from guys. Alexa admits to Justin that she's been trying to keep him and Kelly apart, and arranges for the two to reunite ("Anytime"). The next day Justin and Kelly, Kaya and Carlos, Brandon and Cutler, and Eddie and Lizzie dance at a pool party ("That's the Way (I Like It)").


Cast


Production

''From Justin to Kelly'' was made in about months; three weeks was spent for actor readings of the script (of which revisions were still going on) and rehearsals for dances and singing before the six-week shooting schedule. ''American Idol'' competitors
R. J. Helton Richard Jason "R.J." Helton (born May 17, 1981; as Rolando Alberto de Jesus Rivas, Jr.) is an American Contemporary Christian music artist, who first came to prominence as the fifth place finalist on the American Idol (season 1), first season of ...
and Christina Christian visited the set but don't appear in the film.


Release

Some theater chains threatened not to screen the film at all when distributor 20th Century Fox announced plans to rush it to VHS and
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
a mere six weeks after its opening weekend, but Fox ultimately relented and pushed the release date back a number of months. After underperforming its first weekend, Fox reinstated the original release schedule and the film was released via home media on August 26, 2003.


Reception


Box office

In its opening weekend, ''From Justin to Kelly'' grossed $2,715,848 in 2,001 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #11 at the box office. By the end of its run on July 24, 2003, the film had grossed $4,928,883 in the domestic box office. Based on a $12 million budget, the film was a
box office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...
.


Critical reception

The film has a 8% approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
based on 63 reviews; the average rating is 3.2/10. The consensus states: "A notorious stinker, ''From Justin to Kelly'' features banal songs, a witless plot, and non-existent chemistry between its ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''-sanctioned leads." The film has a score of 14 out of 100 on
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
based on 16 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' film critic
Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
wrote in his review, "How bad is ''From Justin to Kelly''? Set in Miami during spring break, it's like '' Grease: The Next Generation'' acted out by the food-court staff at
SeaWorld SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (one park will be ...
." ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazine described the film as "a monstrous ''Idol'' movie musical that in the most generous light is the worst film so far this century". Tyrangiel, Josh (February 5, 2006)
"Miss Independent"
''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
''.


Reception from Clarkson

Clarkson has since stated that before the film went into production, she pleaded with the creator of ''American Idol'' to be relieved from the contractual obligation to star in the film and that she has always disliked ''From Justin to Kelly''. In an interview, she admitted she joined the film only because she was contractually obligated to do so: "I knew when I read the script it was going to be real, real bad, but when I won, I signed that piece of paper, and I could not get out of it."


Accolades

The film is listed in
Golden Raspberry Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...
founder John Wilson's book ''The Official Razzie Movie Guide'' as one of the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made. The choreography was considered so bad that a special Golden Raspberry "Governor's Award" was created as an excuse to present the film with a Razzie. ''
Total Film ''Total Film'' is a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly and a summer issue is added every year since issue 91, 2004, which is published between July and August issue) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched i ...
'' magazine ranked the film at number 16 in their list of "66 Worst Movies Of All Time".


Home media

The
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
release includes an extended version of 90 minutes which has two new musical numbers, "From Me to You" and "Brighter Star", additional lyrics, more sensual choreography to "Wish Upon a Star", and a scene involving a "Dare to Be Bare" contest.


Soundtrack

A commercial soundtrack with studio tracks was produced but remains unreleased due to the film's negative reception and unsatisfactory box office returns. However, a version of the song "Timeless", sung by Clarkson and Guarini, and recorded prior to the film, was included on Guarini's self-titled debut album. The tracks of the unreleased studio soundtrack can be found on various Clarkson fan sites. Two songs, "From Me to You" and "Brighter Star", did not appear in the theatrical release, but were added to the extended version DVD release. Clarkson also performed "The Bounce (The Luv)", and "Timeless" during her shared (with
Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, ' ...
) "Independent Tour" in 2003 with her male backup singer performing the male vocals on "Timeless". Songs used in the film and soundtrack (in order of appearance): # "I Won't Stand in Line" (Original artist:
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
) # "
Vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for specific festi ...
" (Original artist:
The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belind ...
) # "The Bounce (The Luv)" # "Brandon's Rap" # "Forever Part of Me" # "It's Meant to Be" # "Timeless" (Also released on Guarini's debut CD ''
Justin Guarini Justin Guarini (born Justin Eldrin Bell; October 28, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and actor who in 2002 was the runner-up on the first season of ''American Idol''. Early life Guarini was born in Columbus, Georgia. His father, Eldr ...
'') # "Brighter Star" (Extended version) # "Wish Upon a Star" # "Anytime" (Alternate version on Clarkson's debut CD '' Thankful'') # "Madness" # "Timeless (Reprise)" # "From Me to You" (Extended version) # "Anytime (Reprise)" # "
That's the Way (I Like It) "That's the Way (I Like It)" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band from their self-titled second studio album (1975). The single became the band's second No. 1 hit in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it is one of th ...
" (Lyrically changed cover of a song by
KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits "That's the Way (I Like It)", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "K ...
) # "Sugar"


See also

*
Box office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...
*
List of films considered the worst The films listed below have been cited by a variety of notable critics in varying media sources as being among the worst films ever made. Examples of such sources include Metacritic, Roger Ebert's list of most-hated films, ''The Golden Turkey ...


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:From Justin To Kelly American Idol 2003 films 2000s musical comedy films 2003 romantic comedy films 2000s romantic musical films 20th Century Fox films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films 2000s English-language films Films about music and musicians Films about spring break Films set in Florida Films shot in Florida Films directed by Robert Iscove Films scored by Michael Wandmacher Beach party films Golden Raspberry Award winning films 2000s American films