While The Eras Tour by Taylor Swift once again topped the North American box office this week, the film by another pop star, Britney Spears, was back on screen, alongside the publication of her autobiography.
Crossroadsfeature-length fiction film written by Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy), did not make an impression on the minds or the seventh art when it hit the screens in 2002. “Just like the script and the images of this film about a pop singer shot in a hurry, the soundtrack is worthy of a basement production made with Fisher-Price equipment,” wrote my colleague Isabelle Massé in her very uncomplimentary review of the film.
Isabelle, who is now my boss, still recognized that Britney Spears accurately interpreted this role written to measure for her. I said the same thing to myself recently, seeing Madonna again in Desperately Seeking Susan by Susan Seidelman. I think the Material Girl has never been more convincing on the big screen than in this incredible romantic comedy from 1985.
Janet Jackson was equally credible as a hairdresser-poet in John Singleton’s disappointing second feature, Poetic Justice (1993). She played opposite the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur, himself a pretty good actor, just like Ice Cube in Boyz n the Hoodthe late American filmmaker’s first film.
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Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur in Poetic Justice
Taking the pretext of going to the theater CrossroadsI remembered some notable films, successful and less successful, featuring singers.
By Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate from John Frankenheimer to Harry Styles in Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan. Of Elvis Presley in Live Las Vegas – I saw him recently: his chemistry with Ann-Margret could not be faked – to Justin Timberlake (Britney Spears’ ex) in The Social Network by David Fincher. By Barbra Streisand, Oscar winner for funny girl and unforgettable in The Way We Were from Sydney Pollack, to Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born by Bradley Cooper. We can say that in general, singers do well as actors.
Closer to home, Marie-Mai is currently showing in Will by Denys Arcand. Artists of Quebec song have participated in some of the most important films in our national cinematography: Claude Gauthier and Jean Lapointe in Michel Brault’s masterpiece, OrdersGauthier and Robert Charlebois in Between the sea and fresh water from the same filmmaker. Willie Lamothe in The death of a lumberjack And Bernadette’s true nature by Gilles Carle, Ginette Reno in Leolo by Jean-Claude Lauzon, Kevin Parent in Café de Flore by Jean-Marc Vallée or even Marjo in Watch dog by Sophie Dupuis. There are many other examples, including Marie-Jo Thério in Full Blast by Rodrigue Jean.
Pop stars have often been hired to boost the popularity of feature films. With generally more success at the box office than Mariah Carey in the catastrophic Glitter or Celine Dion in the recent Love Again.
We think of Beyoncé Knowles in Dreamgirls or to Whitney Houston in the syrupy good The Bodyguard (scripted by Lawrence Kasdan, who later disavowed it).
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Vincent Gardenia and Cher, in Moonstruck
In terms of successes, we can cite Cher, Oscar for best actress for Moonstruck (1987) by Canadian Norman Jewison, Kris Kristofferson, excellent in the underrated Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) by Martin Scorsese. The late Olivia Newton-John in Grease (1978) and Tina Turner in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) by George Miller. Or even Eminem (8 Mile) and Prince (Purple Rain), in roles with a strong autobiographical flavor.
Popular singers have starred in films aimed at more niche movie audiences. I recently discovered Mick Jagger as a disillusioned rock star in the sulphurous Performance (1970) by Nicolas Roeg. David Bowie played an alien in the very explosive The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), by the same British filmmaker. Bowie was unforgettable as a prisoner of war in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) by Nagisa Ōshima and was in the cast (along with Chris Isaak) of the very twisted Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) by David Lynch.
Marianne Faithfull played herself in Made in USA (1966) by Jean-Luc Godard. Selena Gomez could not break her clean pop-star image more than in spring breakers (2012) by Harmony Korine.
Debbie Harry has made a career in independent cinema with roles in films as unique as Videodrome (1983) by David Cronenberg, Hairspray (1988) by John Waters and My Life Without Me (2003) by Isabel Coixet.
Not forgetting Alana Haim in the charming Licorice Pizza (2021) by Paul Thomas Anderson, which also featured Tom Waits, collaborator since Down by Law (1986) by Jim Jarmusch (just like Iggy Pop since Dead Man).
My favorite singer performances in cinema? Jennifer Lopez was irresistible alongside George Clooney in the suave Out of Sight (1998) by Steven Soderbergh. But it was undoubtedly Björk who moved me the most, in Dancing in the Dark (2000) by Lars von Trier, Palme d’Or which earned him the Best Actor Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.