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Watching this felt like a walk down memory lane of a time when pop music was synonymous with NSYNC. The pop princess Britney Spears after all wrote the concept of this 94-minute film about three friends at the crossroads in life, which was later expanded by Shonda Rhimes (yes, pre-Grey’s Anatomy). Several songs will surely remind you of how much music has changed since the film’s release.

Out of the three, Lucy (Britney Spears) is the most confident on stage and has the voice that everyone’s looking for. Poetry-wise as depicted in the movie when she first reads it, the lyrics are considered unheard before and in line with the times. So, in the climax, she finally belts out ‘I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman’ in which she expresses her agony of being on the edge of adulthood, being on the verge of her 20s. Britney Spears after all has had her fair share of ups and downs, being in the limelight, leading to her mental breakdown, but also due in part to her strict yet alcoholic father, who put her in much distress and the debated conservatorship. In what you’ll now know as a female empowering anthem, she sings about finding herself, but needs her space and time to shine.

Premise-wise, it is a story of how three friends experience life upon graduation from high school. Simple, right? It’s however, of course, more compelling than that. Rhimes used her skills to also weave themes like female empowerment, unwanted pregnancies, family and friendships.

Despite my initial dislike for Zoe Saldana’s character in the film, I have to say that it adds a certain volume and weight to the film, even if it’s purely fiction. It’s a reminder that there exists the most popular girl in school, even in real-life. Yet, Kit, the character she plays, is not without her mistakes and flaws – after being dumped by her fiancée, who was caught with another woman.

Something that Spears perfected and is quite likely the reason why many of us have been influenced by her - the midriff, glitter, and eyeshadow – an astonishingly sweet look that was in sync with a massive amount of ironic pop culture misogyny and popularly yet uneasily sexualized imagery of young female vocalists. 

Who knew that Madonna’s Open Your Heart would hold such significance? At the beginning, you’ll see Lucy singing to Madonna’s Open Your Heart in her own bedroom. A year later, Britney Spears would share the stage with the Queen of Pop in a duet at the VMAs, donning a mock-virginal lace.

The pace of the film could have been a little better though. Lucy’s parents are worth mentioning. The rather secretive mother, played by Kim Cattrall, adds a certain mystery to the plot, although by the time you get to this part, you’re probably just watching just because… you’ve already invested quite a lot of time. It also serves as a reminder that even parents are not perfect. Similarly, the role of Lucy’s father is played well, just like how Britney Spears plays Lucy.