History Film / Crossroads2002

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: The cross-country trip seems to take ''far'' longer than it really should to get from Georgia to the west coast. For instance, the girls travel for two and a half days from morning until night before they stop within walking distance of [[TheBigEasy New Orleans' French Quarter]] when the car suffers a breakdown. Even coming from as far east as Savannah, a trip of that length can be made in about 10-12 hours depending on the number of stops.

%%* CoolLoser: Lucy and Mimi are this.

Not to be confused with the 1986 UrbanFantasy film of the same name starring Ralph Macchio.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Ben went to jail for taking his abused little step-sister across state lines (while he legally couldn't do as she wasn't related to him).

---> ''All I need is time, a moment that is mine, so while I'm in between,''
--->'' I'm not a girl, not yet a woman''

* AbusiveParents: Lucy's dad smothers her, her mother abandoned her, and Kit's mother criticised her for her appearance as a child and now resents her. Ben also takes his stepsister away from her physically abusive father.

%% * BeYourself: an idea subtly played into the movie.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Ben went to jail for taking his abused little step-sister across state lines (legally he can't take a minor he isn't related to across state lines).

* ForYourOwnGood: Lucy feels forced to become a doctor, because her father thinks is best for her.

* CluelessAesop: All that stuff about sex, its dangers, and its consequences ends up falling apart because it's a PG-13 film aimed at tweens, and the characters end up dodging all the worst possibilities. Mimi's ConvenientMiscarriage is probably the most infamous one.

* CannotSpitItOut: Lucy's father closed offness when it comes to her mother going AWOL kicks off the plot.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Ben went to jail for taking his abused little step-sister across state lines.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: The possibility of an abortion never comes up, not even by implication, as a possible solution to the fact that both Mimi and her deadbeat boyfriend (even before [[spoiler:he is outed as a cheater]]) are obviously completely financially and emotionally unprepared for parenthood. [[spoiler:The whole thing is eventually rendered moot however, when Mimi suffers a ConvenientMiscarriage.]]

* [[DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou Mommy Had A Good Reason For Abandoning You]]: Lucy thinks her mom had this, but it is bitterly subverted when the woman bluntly tells her daughter she left because she just didn't want her.
* MyBelovedSmother: Kit's mom and Lucy's dad.

* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: The cause of Mimi's pregnancy, and Kit's fiance is her rapist.]] Lucy is manhandled at a bar until Ben steps in, which comes just before [[spoiler: Mimi's admission]].

%% * RoadTripPlot

* ShaggyDogStory: All three girls set out with a specific goal in mind; Lucy to reconnect with her mother who abandoned her, Kit to visit her fiance and Mimi to pursue a singing career. [[spoiler: Lucy's mother tells her she was a mistake and never wanted her, Kit discovers her fiance cheating and not only is Mimi upstaged by Lucy's superior voice, but she also loses her baby.]]

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: It takes two and a half days of travel from morning until night to bring the girls from Georgia to within walking distance of [[TheBigEasy New Orleans' French Quarter]] before the car suffers a breakdown. Even coming from as far east as Savannah, a trip of that length can be made in about 10 hours.

%% * OverprotectiveDad: Lucy, to the nth degree.

* {{Fanservice}}: Britney in her underwear, but also all of her singing scenes have some fanservice-y outfits. It has been suggested that her [[BareYourMidriff midriff]] should get its own credit in the film.

* AlphaBitch: Kit, especially at the beginning.
* UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents: Of the Dixie variation, y'all.
* AtTheCrossroads: And HOW x 4!

* BeYourself: an idea subtly played into the movie.

* ComingOfAgeStory: And how for all those involved.
** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by the song title: "Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman".

* CoolLoser: Lucy and Mimi are this.

* FourPhilosophyEnsemble:
** Lucy as the Realist
** Ben as Apathetic
** Mimi as Optimistic
** Kit as Conflicted
* FourTemperamentEnsemble:
** Mimi is Sanguine
** Kit is Choleric
** Lucy is Melancholic
** Ben is Phlegmatic

* HollywoodNerd:
** Britney Spears playing a nerd, a damn cute one at that.
** Justin Long, who often played nerds at this point in his career, is undermined by a ShirtlessScene revealing his muscular arms, pecs, and ''six-pack''.

* PluckyGirl: Mimi.
* OverprotectiveDad: Lucy, to the nth degree.

* RebelliousSpirit: Mimi is depicted as being this at school.
* RoadTripPlot

* TeenPregnancy: Mimi.
* TravelMontage: Being a travel movie, yes.

* TownGirls: Kit is girly, Mimi is a tomboy, Lucy is inbetween.

* {{Fanservice}}: Britney in her underwear, but also all of her singing scenes have some fanservice-y outfits. It has been suggest that her [[BareYourMidriff midriff]] should get its own credit in the film.

* HollywoodNerd: Britney Spears playing a nerd, a damn cute one at that.

* SexAsRiteOfPassage: Lucy's lab partner treats it all as this and it's played as this for Lucy at the end of the movie.

* WrenchWench: Lucy has surprising shades of this. Part of her HiddenDepths.
** Not really surprising considering her father is a mechanic with his own shop.

* TwoRoadsBeforeYou: Lucy-Doctor or Singer, Mimi + Kit-return to hometown or settle in LA, Ben-continue relationship with Lucy or leave her be as she's younger than him.

* TheUnfavourite: Straight as you can get since Carolyne tells Lucy to her face that she never wanted to have her and that she was a mistake, abandoning her the moment she was born and still doesn't want her, only having Lucy because her father made Carolyne have her. She later had two sons to another man who she did not leave.

* MayDecemberRomance: Played with the Lucy-Ben plot. Lucy is 18 and while Ben likely isn’t very much older than her. He can legally enter bars and he went to an adult jail for what was technically a crime and now has a criminal record.

* MayDecemberRomance: Played with the Lucy-Ben plot. Lucy is 18 and while Ben likely isn’t that much he’s older than her. It is a little apparent. He can legally enter bars and he went to an adult jail for what was technically a crime and now has a criminal record.

* MayDecemberRomance: Played with the Lucy-Ben plot. Lucy is only 18 and while Ben likely isn’t that much he’s older than Lucy himself. He’s is old enough to legally enter a bar, has a criminal record and was in jail. That would freak out any parent if their kid wanted to date him.

* MayDecemberRomance: Played with the Lucy-Ben plot. Lucy is only 18 but while Ben probably isn’t much he’s older, he’s at least old enough to get into bars. However it’s the fact he has a criminal record that puts Lucy’s dad off.

* [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist by Her Own Petard]]: Kit's mom sent her to fat camp to become more attractive, but now resents that her daughter is more beautiful than she is.
* HollywoodNerd: Britney Spears playing a nerd, a damn pretty nerd at that.

* MayDecemberRomance: Played with the Lucy-Ben plot.

* MissingMom: Lucy.

* ForYourOwnGood: Lucy feels forced to become a doctor, because her father thinks it’s for her own good.

* ForYourOwnGood: Lucy feels forced into becoming a doctor by her father, apparently it’s for her own good.

* ForYourOwnGood: Lucy feels forced into becoming a doctor by her father, for her own good.

* ForYourOwnGood: Lucy is forced into medical school to become a doctor by her father for her own good.