From Justin to Kelly

Capitalizing on the immense popularity of Fox's pop singer contest series American Idol, this musical romantic comedy stars the original show's winner and first runner-up, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini. The premise: Clarkson's friends persuade her to join them on a Florida spring break vacation for fun, sun, and guys, including meeting wannabe playboy Guarini and his cronies. A syrupy song or two later, the duo are hopelessly devoted to thinking about each other, leading a jealously bitchy bud of Kelly's to try to sabotage the relationship, largely through bogus cell phone text messages. Misunderstandings, puny laughs, obvious innuendo, beach parties, and corny song-and-dance scenes abound, with the principals unrealistically patching up their problems just before the croon and boogie finale. Luckily for my ears, Clarkson and Guarini are fairly capable singers, and the pair shines as the only familiar faces in a cast of relative unknowns, but the unremarkable tunes, ridiculous storyline, and fact that they prevailed in a singing competition (not acting) all torpedo this “let's make money while it's still hot” assembly line film. I'm not sure what hard-ass American Idol judge Simon Cowell says about it (probably a lot, and none of it nice) but I say this musical strives to be Grease-y and winds up cheesy. A strong optional purchase, since American Idol fans are legion. [Note: DVD extras include an extended version with two extra dance numbers, audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a less than sparkling film.] (J. Williams)