B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping Robert Iscove’s From Justin to Kelly into the ol’ VCR. 

Before I get started, I want to give a huge thank you to Jaime French, who covered this movie in her Makeup & Movies series. It inspired this piece, and you should definitely check out her channel. 

Much like a new Slayer emerging, I remember this movie exists every few years (yes, I know the correct version of the line is that “into every generation a Slayer is born,” but cut me some slack for the sake of the reference). From Justin to Kelly is PAINFULLY rooted in the early aughts, down to Kelly’s denim skirts and twisted updos. This movie honestly watches like a rejected Mary-Kate and Ashley screenplay where they couldn’t get the rights to…anything. 

I should also mention this movie is a musical. If you’re asking me why on earth I’m including such an obvious sentence, it’s because the first musical number doesn’t start until seven and a half minutes in and has ZERO lead in. As in, Kelly’s shitty friend Alexa just GRABS a guy and starts singing to and dancing with him. Jaime French wasn’t kidding in her video when she discusses how startling the musical numbers are. I wonder what Simon Cowell and his baby gap tees had to say about the final cut. 

Funnily enough, the endings of the song and dance numbers are equally abrupt; it’s almost like watching a reverse flash mob. As controversial as it may be, From Justin to Kelly walked so the likes of Teen Beach Party and High School Musical could run. The biggest difference between these movies being that most of the dancers in From Justin to Kelly seem to be invertebrates. And, Kelly and Justin seem to sing telepathically to each other in one scene. Brady and Mack could never. 

From Justin to Kelly came out in 2003, so you can imagine how women are objectified. To clarify, the entire movie is set in Florida during Spring Break. So yes, there are obligatory and gratuitous references to a whipped cream bikini contest. There are also numerous references to food being unhealthy. However, I will say it could be worse, considering the setting and timeframe. 

Now, there is a darkside to From Justin to Kelly, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it. Kelly Clarkson was forced to do this film, as part of her American Idol contract. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Kelly Clarkson describes how miserable she was during this entire process: 

“I begged them—since I had to do it contractually—I wanted my single to be released before the movie came out and I think that literally saved my career,” she said. “It was ‘Miss Independent.’ The fact that that was successful, I think that overcame what the movie was.”

– Kelly Clarkson

Kelly goes on to state, “I can get over the fact that it’s silly and cute—that’s not embarrassing to me at all. I just don’t find it very cool that somebody makes you do something that is not your passion and you don’t want to do.”

If you didn’t think From Justin to Kelly was about to spur a larger discussion on the pressures of Hollywood, you’ve come to the wrong place. Why are young stars taken advantage of, especially women? In this case, it looks like the winner of American Idol, regardless of gender, had to fulfill this obligation, but why? 

Contestants on American Idol are often new to fame, so to lock them into an iron-clad deal, especially for an area of the arts they have little to no interest in, is just gross. We’re beginning to see more and more representation in film, be it size, LGBTQIA+, or POC inclusion, but there’s still so much pressure placed on singers and actors alike, and so much room for representation and inclusion. I’m not saying I have the answers, but I’m saying we need to do better. 

From Justin to Kelly is a silly romp that serves as a time capsule for those of us who grew up in the early to mid-aughts. I think it would be served best with the likes of High School Musical or The Challenge. Side effects may include yearning for chunky highlights, searching for platform sandals on Google, and wanting to attach ties to the nearest skirt. 

From Justin to Kelly is now streaming on Amazon Prime.