Naman Shrestha
With Tamra Davis at the helm, ‘Crossroads’ is a 2002 romantic comedy movie that chronicles the friendship of three childhood friends — Lucy, Kit, and Mimi. One day, they bury a box together and make a pact to open it on the night of their high school graduation. After eight long years, the trio reunites on the spot where they buried the box and decide to embark on a cross-country trip, during which they rediscover themselves as well as their friendship. With little to less money and no plan, they get a lift from Mimi’s charming friend named Ben in his convertible.
By the time the girls reach the destination, Lucy falls head over heels in love with Ben and decides to stay, against her family’s wishes. Featuring impressive performances from some popular names in the industry, including Britney Spears, Anson Mount, Zoe Saldana, Taryn Manning, Kim Cattrall, and Dan Aykroyd, the friendship-centric movie taps into some realistic topics and focuses on the complexities of female friendship.
Crossroads is Loosely Based on Britney Spears’ Real-Life Friendships
Yes, ‘Crossroads’ is somewhat based on a true story. As surprising as it may sound, Britney Spears, who portrays Lucy, had a lot of say when it comes to the idea and storyline of the rom-com. In fact, she put the basic idea of the plot in the minds of the director Tamra Davis and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes. During a conversation with Hollywood, Britney revealed, “I had a lot of input to deal with their characters and what each one was goin’ through. But the whole storyline, as far as why Lucy was going (cross-country)…the writer came in and helped me elaborate on that a little bit. So it was actually like a combined effort between both of us.”
She added, “I came up with the general idea but the whole story and all the little details and stuff the writer helped me with.” The friendship of the three girls showcased in ‘Crossroads’ is reportedly inspired by Britney’s personal friendships while growing up. She was also blessed with three girlfriends and that is what inspired her to do the movie. She elaborated, “I still have my girlfriends that I grew up with. We went to daycare together…we just feel comfortable with each other. We’re honest, we’re total goofs….”
Her social media was proof of her long-lasting friendships as even 12 years after the film premiered, she hung out with her girlfriends — Laura Lynne, Jansen, and Courtney. Just like Lucy, Kit, and Mimi have each other’s backs in the comedy film, Britney and her friends also shared a close-knit bond at the time. She told MTV News, “I totally remember when I was like 12 and 13. My girlfriends, we had our backs. We were very very close. I don’t know if that’s a southern thing, or if it’s just a nationwide thing. And I think it’s cool because when you make bonds like that, a lot of times at that young age, you do continue to keep that.”
She also mentioned that distance didn’t make their bonds any less strong as even after she went home and met Laura, they used to start off exactly where they left off. Thus, the trio in ‘Crossroads’ has various traits that are inspired by Britney’s real-life friends. The themes of teen pregnancy, drinking, and date rape are also alluded to in ‘Crossroads,’ all of which are quite prevalent in the actual society as well. Taking the aforementioned factors into account, it would be safe to say that the essence of the tale was somewhat derived from Britney’s actual friendships, but the intricacies of the film were fictional.
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