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After “Crossroads”,
I didn’t think I’d ever get
enough of Britney Spears. There’s
just something about this little lady that
just tugs at your heart. She’s such
a wonderful singer and dancer, and so refined
and reserved for a pop star. It’s
no wonder that her albums sell so well and
that she has become the idol of millions
of girls around the world. Yup, there’s
a lot of talent to be found in Britney Spears,
and what an excellent role model to boot.
(The preceding comment does not reflect
the opinions of this writer or anyone on
the staff of this website. I only wrote
it because I love sarcasm, and that my friend
was sarcasm. In reality Britney is a hack,
much like Madonna. She is only famous because
of some reeeeaaaalllly good marketing, and
has a voice that wouldn’t make it
past the first round of “American
Idol.”)
So when I heard about the film “Britney
Baby, One More Time”, something told
me that I really needed to watch it. You
see, this movie isn’t about Britney
at all, at least not directly.
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Director Ludi Boeken (“Who Killed Georgi
Markov”) teamed up with Mark Borchardt and
Mike Schank (the subjects of “American Movie”)
to create a mockumentary / social commentary of
sorts. The closest we get to Britney Spears is
a transsexual impersonator (who, by the way appears
to have more talent than the real Britney).
“Britney Baby, One More Time” follows
the exploits of washed-up independent filmmaker
Dude Schmitz (Borchardt) and his crew (Mike Schank,
Shannon Walker Williams and Frank Potter) as they
attempt to interview Britney Spears at a local
Milwaukee concert appearance. They are thrown
out after Schmitz decides to get the exclusive
on the answer to the question, “Are they
real, or aren’t they?” Undaunted in
this new chance for fame, they team up with the
winner of a Britney Spears look-alike contest,
Angel Benton (Robert Stephens), traveling across
the country in search of the interview.
I had heard of Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank
before, because of the documentary “American
Movie”. Unfortunately, I have yet to see
this film, which focuses on the two filmmakers
as they… well… make a movie. I’ve
heard from numerous sources that this is a great
documentary, and really makes you feel sorry for
what a lot of independent filmmakers go through
to try and get a movie made. It’s definitely
on my ‘gotta watch’ list.
Here the two filmmakers get the opportunity to
‘act’. And let me tell you, they are
not actors. However, in spite of this little hurdle,
“Britney Baby, One More Time” is a
fairly funny movie. Their deadpan line delivery
is often painfully bad, but that’s part
of what made it funny. To be honest, hardly anyone
in the movie could act, but again that just made
it funnier.
I don’t want to give you the idea that the
film is hysterical, because it’s not by
any means. But it’s funny enough to warrant
a few good laughs. In particular, there are some
really clever scenes involving a truck stop and
a mall. And when the ‘filmmakers’
start to try and pass Angel off as the real Britney,
I can’t help but think of what ‘the
real Britney’ must think of this movie (this
is of course taking it for granted that ‘the
real Britney’ does, in fact, think at all).
The only thing that holds “Britney Baby,
One More Time” from being a really great
mockumentary is that it often seems stilted. It
goes off onto these weird tangents and storylines
that take your attention away from the main focus
of the story. Then, at times I’m not sure
if the final goal was to make a comedy. There’s
enough talk of ‘acceptance’ of who
you are, that it almost seems preachy. Being that
I love sarcasm, I think I would’ve actually
enjoyed the film more if they had been a little
more
I certainly can’t recommend “Britney
Baby, One More Time” to everyone. This film
is geared more towards the independent filmmaker
market. Mainstream audiences might not be as forgiving
of the ‘bad acting’, as those of us
who’ve been there.
Directed By: Ludi Boeken
Starring: Robert Stephens, Mark Borchardt, Mike
Schank
Extras: Cast Bios, Photo Gallery
Specifications: Widescreen Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions,
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Koch Lorber
Release Date: 2/10/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Britney Baby, One More Time a C+.
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