| From Justin to Kelly | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Iscove |
| Written by | Kim Fuller |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Francis Kenny |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million[1] |
| Box office | $4.9 million[1] |
From Justin to Kelly is a 2003 Americanmusicalromantic comedy film, written byKim Fuller and directed byRobert Iscove. The movie featuresKelly Clarkson, the winner of thefirst season ofAmerican Idol, andJustin Guarini, the runner-up. A critical andcommercial failure, the film received theGolden Raspberry Award for "Worst 'Musical' of Our First 25 Years" in 2005. It has gained a reputation asone of the worst movies ever made.
InTexas, Kelly Taylor works as a waitress and singer at a bar where she attracts the attention of many cowboys, including Luke. Her college classmates, Alexa and Kaya, invite her to join them on aspring break vacation inFort Lauderdale, Florida. Despite finding the typical spring break activities demeaning, Kelly decides to go on the trip to escape her miserable job. In Miami, college student Justin Bell is also on vacation with his friends Brandon and Eddie, who run aparty promoter business called BR&J.
Upon arriving in Fort Lauderdale, Kelly, Alexa, and Kaya attend a beach concert where Kelly first encounters Justin. During the concert, Justin and Brandon offer Eddie dating advice before leaving. Later, Justin and Kelly search for each other at a party, eventually finding each other in a bathroom. Kelly attempts to give Justin her phone number on a napkin but misses, causing it to fall into a puddle. Unable to retrieve her number, Kelly leaves. Justin then asks Alexa for Kelly's number, but Alexa gives him her own number instead, pretending it is Kelly's. That night, she texts Justin, pretending to be Kelly, and rejects his advances. Meanwhile, Kaya begins a romantic relationship with Carlos, a busboy, and they enjoy a night out at aSalsa club.
The next day, Alexa signs up Kelly for BR&J's whipped creambikini contest, hoping to observe Justin's character. Kelly initially feels angry at Justin for participating in such a degrading event, but they later run into each other at afood truck. They decide to go on a boat ride together and connect during their time on the boat. They make plans to meet at the beach the following night. Meanwhile, Brandon receives a ticket for hosting the contest without a permit, and Kaya complains to Carlos' boss about his mistreatment, resulting in Carlos being fired.
Alexa, pretending to be Kelly, texts Justin and instructs him to meet her at a bar instead of the beach. Alexa sings about her desire for love, and when Justin arrives, she tells him that Kelly has a boyfriend back home. She calls Luke and asks him to come to Florida. Eddie continues his search for his online date but gets beaten up by a jock and misses their rendezvous.
Later, Kelly feels upset when Justin fails to show up at the beach. Luke appears and claims that Kelly is his girlfriend. Luke and Justin decide to settle their differences through ahovercraft race, but Luke gets injured during the race. Brandon receives another ticket, this time from Cutler, the police officer, for gambling on the race. Justin seeks advice from Alexa on how to win Kelly back, but Alexa kisses him, which Kelly witnesses. Carlos becomes angry with Kaya for interfering in his life but later realizes he should have stood up to his boss earlier. He apologizes to Kaya by arranging a romantic dinner for them in a pool.
Kelly watches from a distance as Alexa approaches, pretending to want food. Kelly confronts her about Luke and Justin, and Alexa lies, claiming that Justin called her and said he only wanted to be with Alexa. Kelly apologizes. Later, at a bar, the girls are dancing when Justin arrives and tries to get Kelly's attention. She leaves, and he follows her, confronting her about her recent behavior. Kelly reveals what Alexa told her, and they argue. Kelly realizes something is amiss as Justin storms off. Back inside, Kelly picks up Alexa's phone when it falls and discovers the messages between her and Justin. Alexa confesses to being jealous of the attention Kelly receives from guys. Kelly leaves, and Justin approaches her. Alexa tells Kelly she stopped Justin and admits to trying to keep them apart. She arranges for Justin and Kelly to reunite.
The following day, Justin and Kelly, Kaya and Carlos, Brandon and Cutler, and Eddie and Lizzie all dance at a pool party, enjoying their time together.
From Justin to Kelly was produced within a relatively short timeframe of approximately two and a half months. During this period, three weeks were allocated for actor readings of the script, which were accompanied by ongoing script revisions. Additionally, this timeframe also encompassed rehearsals for dances and singing prior to the commencement of the six-week shooting schedule.[2]R. J. Helton andChristina Christian, both formerAmerican Idol competitors, paid visits to the film's set; however, they do not make appearances in the final cut of the movie.[2]
Some theater chains were concerned when distributor20th Century Fox announced its intention to release the film onVHS andDVD a mere six weeks after its opening weekend. In response, they threatened not to screen the film at all. However, Fox eventually changed its stance and delayed the release by several months. Following a disappointing performance during its initial weekend, Fox decided to revert to the original release schedule, and the film was eventually made available to the public through home media on August 26, 2003.
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.[3] 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 abox-office bomb.[1]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 8% of 63 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "A notorious stinker,From Justin To Kelly features banal songs, a witless plot, and non-existent chemistry between its American Idol-sanctioned leads."[4]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 14 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[5] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.[6]
Entertainment Weekly film criticOwen Gleiberman wrote in his review, "How bad isFrom Justin to Kelly? Set in Miami during spring break, it's likeGrease: The Next Generation acted out by the food-court staff atSeaWorld."[7]Time magazine described the film as "a monstrousIdol movie musical that in the most generous light is the worst film so far this century".[8]
Clarkson has since stated that before the film went into production, she tearfully pleaded with the creator ofAmerican Idol to be relieved from the contractual obligation to star in the film, and that she has always dislikedFrom Justin to Kelly.[9] In an interview, she admitted participating in 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."[8]
The film is listed inGolden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's bookThe Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made.[10]
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 magazine ranked the film at number 16 in their list of "66 Worst Movies Of All Time".[11]
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Worst Film | Nominated | |
| Golden Raspberry Awards(2003)[12][13] | Worst Picture | Robert Engelman and Nikki Boella | Nominated |
| Worst Director | Robert Iscove | Nominated | |
| Worst Actor | Justin Guarini | Nominated | |
| Worst Actress | Kelly Clarkson | Nominated | |
| Worst Screenplay | Kim Fuller | Nominated | |
| Worst Screen Couple | Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini | Nominated | |
| Worst Prequel or Sequel | From Justin to Kelly(remake of bothWhere the Boys Are andWhere the Boys Are '84) | Nominated | |
| Worst Excuse for an Actual Movie (All Concept/No Content) | Nominated | ||
| Governor's Award for Distinguished Under-Achievement in Choreography | Travis Payne | Won | |
| Golden Raspberry Awards(2004)[14] | Worst "Musical" of Our First 25 Years | Won | |
| Stinkers Bad Movie Awards[15] | Worst Picture | Robert Engelman and Nikki Boella | Nominated |
| Worst Director | Robert Iscove | Nominated | |
| Worst Actor | Justin Guarini | Nominated | |
| Worst Actress | Kelly Clarkson | Nominated | |
| Worst On-Screen Couple | Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini | Nominated | |
| Worst On-Screen Group | The Pennsylvania Posse | Nominated | |
| Most Annoying Fake Accent (Female) | Kelly Clarkson | Nominated | |
| Worst Song or Song Performance in a Film or Its End Credits | "Anytime" by Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini | Won | |
| Teen Choice Awards[16] | Choice Movie Chemistry | Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini | Nominated |
| Choice Breakout Movie Actor | Justin Guarini | Nominated | |
| Choice Breakout Movie Actress | Kelly Clarkson | Nominated | |
TheDVD 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.[17]
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'sself-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 (withClay Aiken) "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):
