Movie Review: From Justin To Kelly

From Justin to Kelly (2003, Robert Iscove) - 10.0
Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson from the first season of American Idol lead the cast of this extraordinary charmer. At first, Justin plays a total womanizer who jokes about never having had a relationship lasting longer than a couple hours, and he is also the kind of guy who hosts whip cream bikini contests. But that all changes within seconds of meeting the virginal, innocent Kelly, who has been dragged to Spring Break by her friends. It's fate that the two of them will end up together, but one of Kelly's friends gets jealous, and does all that she can to stop this from happening. One of the things that really stands out for me about this movie is how mean-spirited and cunty the friend's actions are. It gets pretty uncomfortable, and is a bit inappropriate to the general tone of the film. But the main thing that stands out is Guarini's incredible performance. His screen presence is astounding. It's a fairly perfect movie, anyway, I love the story, the characters, the music, the dancing, the dialogue, the humor, fucking everything about it, but it is moments like when Justin runs into Kelly in the women's restroom while trying to escape some girls who are chasing him for invitations to a party he's throwing, and Kelly advises him to climb out the window, and Justin confidently replies, "Girl, my hair won't fit through there." that make this one of my Very Favorite Movies Of All Time Ever.

01/21/04: DVD
08/14/06: DVD
11/25/06: DVD