The Sandspur

Issue date: 4/1/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: COURTESY OF IMDB.COM

Movie reviews worldwide dubbed it "a legendary film for the ages," "one of the best in a long time," and "an amazing, melodic journey from start to end." Famed film critic Joel Siebert noted, "Before now, people thought the magic flame of movie musicals would never be rekindled. This movie has blazed forth with enough fire to burn down Hollywood." From Justin to Kelly was one of the most powerful musicals to emerge in the history of film, and upon its re-release on March 18, it has proven to make its mark as a masterpiece amongst the dull roar of such films as Million Dollar Baby and Ray.

The brilliance of the title alone suggests that the audience is in for an amazing trip with two enduringly multitalented stars, American Idol's Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson. From Justin to Kelly is the riveting story of two young college students who search for fun during vacation in Miami. The titular characters, Justin (Justin) and Kelly (Kelly), spend the movie trying to find true, eternal love with each other. Kelly plays a modest bar singer who's dragged to Miami for Spring Break by her two best friends. Justin is a ridiculously good-looking, party-minded college guy from Pennsylvania, the party capital of the world, who's been named "mayor of Spring Break." The two bump into each other on the beach, and the delightful voyage of music unfolds from there.

The film does an amazing job of transporting viewers to a tropical, hedonistically lush paradise-it's evident that no expense was spared on creating the extravagant set and costumes. The surprising depth supporting cast added a delightful complement to the stellar acting of the two stars. My heart broke to pieces when Kelly's other best friend, Kaya, feels betrayed when her newfound romance, Carlos, is revealed to be kitchen help. It was a tragedy beyond words. Further, Alexa (Catherine Bailess) reveals in the movie, "I tried my hardest to keep y'all apart, you just kept gettin' back together... and I'm the queen of connivin'." Her delivery of this line convinced me of her desperate internal struggle to rent Justin and Kelly's connection in two.

However, the chemistry between Justin and Kelly exploded with more passion than one beach could handle, and it stood against any attempts to foil their love. I can honestly say that the moment between Justin and Kelly when they finally find one another rivals that of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in Casablanca. When they serenade each other with the beautifully written ballad "Timeless," I couldn't help but shed tears at the sheer exquisiteness of the verses, "So let's sail away and meet forever, baby / Where the crystal ocean melts into the sky / We shouldn't let this moment pass / making me shiver, let's make it last...." Three words: pure lyric genius. The movie ends climactically with a vibrant, believably impromptu performance of "That's the Way (I Like It)." Justin and Kelly seem to be in their element and their singing and dancing demonstrates why they deserve the elite title of "American Idols."

One viewing of From Justin to Kelly explains the heavy Oscar buzz that surrounded it this past awards season (for legal reasons, the movie could not be placed in any category for nomination). This film touched the deepest of hearts of viewers worldwide, and the re-release will allow the magic to continue. If you see one movie this year, make it From Justin to Kelly-if you love the authentic grit of American Idol and the raw emotion of MTV's Total Request Live, this movie will change your life.

From Justin to Kelly will be playing at the Enzian and all major movie theaters until further notice.

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