Ticket for Love

On the Line is the greatest film to star a musician since Blue Hawaii. Don't remember Blue Hawaii? Exactly. This film may not revolve around the music of the insanely popular boy band, but it caters to the same audience. In this story, Lance Bass (of 'N Synch) is Kevin Gibbons, the chronically date-impaired ex-rocker turned corporate adman. Kevin is now mocked daily by his friends for being the guy who blew it with his dream girl back in high school. Kevin, now 27, is about to get another chance. Kevin meets Abbey (Emmanuelle Chriqui, Detroit Rock City) on the `L' train in Chicago, and they mesh like... two cute people meshing. Kevin, the dweeb, fails to get her name and number before they part. It's an abused plot of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy comes up with ludicrous way of winning girl back.

After Kevin's slip-up on the L, he decides to flyer the city of Chicago. A newspaper gets a hold of Kevin's story, and takes an active role in spreading to the city just how pathetic Kevin is. It works magnificently and, soon enough, Kevin is inundated by calls from girls claiming to be `the one.' Meanwhile, at work, Kevin is under the gun for a Reebok ad that his partner steals the credit for. A slip-up leads to a tongue lashing from his boss Higgins (Dave Foley, News Radio). While responding to Higgins' rant, Kevin accidentally gives his friends the go ahead to turn his love life into a dating game. Kevin's friends Rod (Joey Fatone), Eric and Randy proceed to take the impostor L train girls out on dates, most of which end catastrophically.

New acting talents Gregory Qaiyum and James Bulliard play Eric and Randy, the ghetto boy and the preppy kid. Qaiyum (who prefers to be called GQ), gives the most enthusiastic performance of the crew, but loses points for interrupting Al Green in the credits. Bulliard, who looks like James Spader's younger Swiss brother, loses no points for not singing, but fails to make anything of his deadpan dialogue. Joey Fatone lends a strong comedic presence to the film, and sings some decent rock covers too. Bass' character doesn't have the slapstick to fall back on, and the character of Kevin often falls flat. It's the willingness of the 'N Synch boys to poke fun at themselves that makes On the Line bearable to watch. Rod falls a lot, and Kevin leads such an embarrassing life that you can't help but smile. If they had been playing athletes or Casanovas, they would have seemed laughably out of place.

With a PG rating, we know what kind of crowd this film was written for. When asked about his predictions for the public's response Bass states, `oh yeah, this is going to be known as the 'N Synch movie,' but he feels that it's not just for the fans. In fact, 'N Synch fans may be disappointed to discover that only two songs on the soundtrack are by the boy band. Relief may come from the other contributing musicians, which include BBMak, Vitamin C, Al Green, and Richie Sambora. A new solo song by Fatone, Ready to Fall, is also on the soundtrack. On the Line is a film starring musicians, who play characters that used to be musicians. While this may have been a safe play for the singers' movie debut, they didn't try very hard to avoid being typecast. This movie was built around the music.

You've got to give Bass and Fatone a hand for their diligence. On the Line was filmed in both Chicago and Toronto, during the recording of their platinum album Celebrity. And it only took 32 days, which is the sign of a truly efficient filmmaker. As a producer, Bass roped in a few special guests. And yes, in case you were wondering, Chris and Justin have a cameo. Their ability to portray effeminate hairdressers is uncanny. As for JC, he must have been busy working on a solo album. That's not inside news, just wishful thinking. Directed by Eric Bross. Rated PG for fart jokes and beer.

Kevin (Lance Bass) is a young advertising executive whose career is on the upswing. However, his personal life is more of a shambles as he is painfully shy around women. One day on a train in Chicago, he meets pretty Abbey (Emmanuelle Chriqui), who strikes his interest immediately. They both love Al Green, the Cubs, and history. However, Kevin clams up at the end of the conversation and fails to acquire her name and telephone number. He regrets his lack of fortitude soon after and decides to put up posters around the city in an effort to find her. The local newspaper, spotting one of the signs, even features an article on Kevin's plight. Yet, Abbey fails to appear. Will Kevin connect again with Abbey, even as he's fighting off the attentions of other women?

With NSync member Bass as the star of the show, one would expect a movie only tweens would appreciate. Not so. Bass and Chriqui are winsome and winning as they seek to find each other again. The scenes in and around Chicago are engaging. The supporting cast is a bit goofy and grating at times (especially Kevin's friends) but, overall, the presentation of the movie is upbeat and humorous. Fans of light-hearted romantic films would be savvy to seek out this little sleeper. A happy feeling will permeate the viewer's heart for a long time.

Coming into this movie I think I expected a lot. The story line was really well played out but the acting got to me after awhile. I am an 'N Sync fan but not all singers are meant to be actors. I had a hard time thinking of Lance Bass as anything but a singer, and his acting skills weren't all that convincing otherwise. At times, it appeared to be just him reading the lines. Don't get me wrong though, I enjoyed the movie because it was a very cute romantic comedy. I just had a hard time overlooking the actors' abilities.

But I would suggest this movie to any romantic comedy lover. And the movie had a really good story line as well as comedy! :-D

This is a great movie for all ages. It is funny, sweet and holds your attention from beginning to end. Besides just being lots of fun it is great seeing Lance and Joey having so much fun acting. I think parents will like this movie as much as kids. I have been lucky enough to see it and can't wait to go again and again and buy the sound track.

On The Line is a sweet and innocent movie for little girls or those who love cute little romances. Lance Bass from Nsync fame is quite good as the lead who always chokes up around the opposite sex and in the workplace. I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. It has an innocent quality that is not found in many films anymore. On The Line isn't Oscar winning but it is a movie that should appeal to those who love the innocence of young love.