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On the Line (film)
Encyclopedia
On the Line is a 2001 American romantic comedy film
starring Lance Bass
and Emmanuelle Chriqui
. The film was directed by Eric Bross and was written by Eric Aronson and Paul Stanton, based upon their short film of the same name.
The film opens with Kevin (Lance Bass
), an advertisement employee, on stage, performing at a high school grad party. He sees the girl he likes, and his bandmates try to get him to sing to her and ask her out. He becomes nervous, ends up seeing himself naked in front of everyone, and faints. Fast-forward 7 years, and Kevin's in advertising. He makes a pitch for Reebok
that gets shot down. The pitch is later used in the meeting by his "partner" Jackie (Tamala Jones
) who presents it as hers at the last minute. As he takes the train home from work, he meets Abbey (Emmanuelle Chriqui
). They hit it off talking about their similar interests (The Cubs
, Al Green
, etc.). As they go their separate ways, they hesitate but eventually leave. They each go home and discuss the encounter with their friends.
He decides to try to find Abbey by making posters and placing them all over town. He goes out with a few random women who answer the call, none of which are Abbey. The local newspaper finds out about his search and sets up an interview. The reporter, Brady Frances (Dan Montgomery, Jr.), is an old classmate who hates him; in high school Brady asked a girl out to prom and she promptly asked Kevin who was standing nearby, then returned to Brady and said she was taken. The article comes out in the paper and Kevin gets hundreds of calls, which leads to his dateless roommates — aspiring musician Rod (Joey Fatone
); Eric (GQ); and art nut Randy (James Bulliard
) — suggesting they date all the callers to help. Eric has the idea shot down when he originally pitches it to Kevin, but while Kevin is at work one day, Eric calls and asks him to reconsider. It is poor timing, as Kevin is having a conversation with his boss, Higgins (Dave Foley
). When he gives a "Yes" answer to a question from Higgins, Eric hears him on the other end of the line, and hangs up.
A follow up article comes out in which Brady presents Kevin as a loser, which makes even more girls call. Brady gets more upset when his girlfriend Julie (Amanda Foreman
), who is rather bothered by his still-intense grudge against Kevin, takes Kevin's side. While the search is going on Abbey is having problems with her boyfriend of 3 years, whom she was visiting when she met Kevin. Her boyfriend buys tickets to an Al Green
concert and flakes out on her. Kevin is also at the concert but they never see each other, despite several close calls. Soon, Eric, Rod, and Randy begin taking calls from many girls, and going on dates with them, for their own enjoyment (although some of the dates were quite strange) and to find Abbey. One of the girls is actually Abbey, who gets mad when she finds out Kevin's friends are taking the dates. Another girl who answers the call is Brady's girlfriend, Julie. When she tells him the friends are answering the calls and dating the girls Brady writes another article declaring the scam. At work, Reebok decides they won't work with Kevin once the article comes out and he is taken off the project, even though it was his idea. After work Kevin sees Abbey waiting for the train. He tries to get her attention but she doesn't see him till she's getting on the train. He runs to get on but the doors close. As he knocks on her window she smacks the paper with the headline "Train Man Scam" against the window as the train pulls away. He talks to Eric about it and Eric finally tells him she did answer the call and they went out. Kevin punches Eric and leaves.
His friends, who feel guilty about the whole situation, decide to search for Abbey themselves. They put up their own posters, with a hand drawn image of her, and ride the train for days. At first people aren't interested in helping, until Eric makes a speech about being in love, ending it with, "Love may not make the world go 'round, but it's what makes the ride worthwhile." He gets a standing ovation from everyone on the train except Abbey, sitting in stunned silence behind the other passengers. Things continue going downhill when Kevin learns his best friend at the agency, Nathan (Jerry Stiller
), suffers a heart attack. Kevin goes to see Nathan at a rehab facility, where Nathan tells him the story of both meeting his wife at a Chicago Cubs game, and catching a home run from Cubs legend Ernie Banks the same day, and how the two tied together. He gives Kevin the baseball and tells him to try to find Abbey again.
Things soon start going uphill for Kevin. For starters, he is put back on the ad campaign project (his former "partner" who got a promotion because of the pitch has him reinstated and apologizes). He gets put in charge of the billboards for the ad, and changes it to an apology for Abbey asking her to meet him at the station at 7. The billboard is all over town and the media wait with him at the scheduled time. After 15 minutes of Abbey not showing up, the TV crews start packing up and the spectators begin to disperse, but all stop when Kevin picks up a paper airplane thrown by Abbey telling him to look up. Kevin races up a flight of stairs to a breezeway over the tracks, where he asks Abbey for her name, and number. Abbey responds with, "Abbey, and I'd thought you'd never ask." They then kiss, much to the delight of the crowd at the station, and to the television viewers at home, and in a bar where his roommates are watching.
Life also gets better for Rod and Randy. Randy meets a girl at the bar while watching Kevin's meeting with Abbey, and finds that she, too, is interested in art. Meanwhile, Julie dumps Brady for Rod, who is offered a contract to the record label owned by his idol, Mick Silver (Richie Sambora
), saying he liked Rod's demo tape, which Kevin sent in. Brady is given an advice column in the Living section of the Chicago Times
.
Cameos as themselves
The original screenplay for the film would have received an R rating, but was rewritten to a PG so that it could be marketed to *NSYNC fans.
The short film on which the film was based starred Troy Garity
, Charlie O'Connell
, and Eric Michael Cole.
During the credits of the film, the film features a comedic clip of Lance Bass and Joey Fatone who played two of the main characters being made up by fellow *NSYNC members Justin Timberlake
and Chris Kirkpatrick
. Timberlake and Kirkpatrick played wardrobe managers yet *NSYNC member JC Chasez failed to appear.
10 million budget. Miramax
marketed the film heavily towards *NSYNC's teen fans, and the film's soundtrack
featured songs by teen pop sensations Mandy Moore
and BB Mak, along with previously unreleased tracks by *NSYNC and Britney Spears
. However, the film was a box-office flop, and grossed only $4.3 million domestically.
The film was heavily criticized, especially by star critic Roger Ebert
, who said the film was "...an agonizingly creaky movie that laboriously plods through a plot so contrived that the only thing real about it is its length."
On Rotten Tomatoes
, the film holds a 19% 'rotten' rating with the consensus stating "An inept attempt at a romantic comedy aimed at 'Nsync fans."
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
starring Lance Bass
Lance Bass
James Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
and Emmanuelle Chriqui
Emmanuelle Chriqui
Emmanuelle Sophie Anne Chriqui is a Canadian film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role on HBO's Entourage as Sloan McQuewick, as well as the love interest of Adam Sandler in the movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan...
. The film was directed by Eric Bross and was written by Eric Aronson and Paul Stanton, based upon their short film of the same name.
Plot
Lance Bass
James Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
), an advertisement employee, on stage, performing at a high school grad party. He sees the girl he likes, and his bandmates try to get him to sing to her and ask her out. He becomes nervous, ends up seeing himself naked in front of everyone, and faints. Fast-forward 7 years, and Kevin's in advertising. He makes a pitch for Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
that gets shot down. The pitch is later used in the meeting by his "partner" Jackie (Tamala Jones
Tamala Jones
Tamala R. Jones is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the movies Booty Call, The Wood, Kingdom Come, The Brothers, and Two Can Play That Game...
) who presents it as hers at the last minute. As he takes the train home from work, he meets Abbey (Emmanuelle Chriqui
Emmanuelle Chriqui
Emmanuelle Sophie Anne Chriqui is a Canadian film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role on HBO's Entourage as Sloan McQuewick, as well as the love interest of Adam Sandler in the movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan...
). They hit it off talking about their similar interests (The Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, etc.). As they go their separate ways, they hesitate but eventually leave. They each go home and discuss the encounter with their friends.
He decides to try to find Abbey by making posters and placing them all over town. He goes out with a few random women who answer the call, none of which are Abbey. The local newspaper finds out about his search and sets up an interview. The reporter, Brady Frances (Dan Montgomery, Jr.), is an old classmate who hates him; in high school Brady asked a girl out to prom and she promptly asked Kevin who was standing nearby, then returned to Brady and said she was taken. The article comes out in the paper and Kevin gets hundreds of calls, which leads to his dateless roommates — aspiring musician Rod (Joey Fatone
Joey Fatone
Joseph Anthony "Joey" Fatone, Jr. is an American singer, dancer, actor and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband, 'N Sync, in which he sang baritone. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars...
); Eric (GQ); and art nut Randy (James Bulliard
James Bulliard
James Bulliard is a Canadian actor.Born in Bern, Switzerland, he moved to Canada at the age of three and began his career on a radio program called Not the History of Rock and Roll at the age of six His first role in a feature film occurred in 1993, when he appeared in the movie Ordinary Magic,...
) — suggesting they date all the callers to help. Eric has the idea shot down when he originally pitches it to Kevin, but while Kevin is at work one day, Eric calls and asks him to reconsider. It is poor timing, as Kevin is having a conversation with his boss, Higgins (Dave Foley
Dave Foley
David Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown...
). When he gives a "Yes" answer to a question from Higgins, Eric hears him on the other end of the line, and hangs up.
A follow up article comes out in which Brady presents Kevin as a loser, which makes even more girls call. Brady gets more upset when his girlfriend Julie (Amanda Foreman
Amanda Foreman (actress)
Amanda Foreman is an American actress who is best known for the role of Meghan Rotundi on the college drama series Felicity.-Early life:...
), who is rather bothered by his still-intense grudge against Kevin, takes Kevin's side. While the search is going on Abbey is having problems with her boyfriend of 3 years, whom she was visiting when she met Kevin. Her boyfriend buys tickets to an Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
concert and flakes out on her. Kevin is also at the concert but they never see each other, despite several close calls. Soon, Eric, Rod, and Randy begin taking calls from many girls, and going on dates with them, for their own enjoyment (although some of the dates were quite strange) and to find Abbey. One of the girls is actually Abbey, who gets mad when she finds out Kevin's friends are taking the dates. Another girl who answers the call is Brady's girlfriend, Julie. When she tells him the friends are answering the calls and dating the girls Brady writes another article declaring the scam. At work, Reebok decides they won't work with Kevin once the article comes out and he is taken off the project, even though it was his idea. After work Kevin sees Abbey waiting for the train. He tries to get her attention but she doesn't see him till she's getting on the train. He runs to get on but the doors close. As he knocks on her window she smacks the paper with the headline "Train Man Scam" against the window as the train pulls away. He talks to Eric about it and Eric finally tells him she did answer the call and they went out. Kevin punches Eric and leaves.
His friends, who feel guilty about the whole situation, decide to search for Abbey themselves. They put up their own posters, with a hand drawn image of her, and ride the train for days. At first people aren't interested in helping, until Eric makes a speech about being in love, ending it with, "Love may not make the world go 'round, but it's what makes the ride worthwhile." He gets a standing ovation from everyone on the train except Abbey, sitting in stunned silence behind the other passengers. Things continue going downhill when Kevin learns his best friend at the agency, Nathan (Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller
Gerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
), suffers a heart attack. Kevin goes to see Nathan at a rehab facility, where Nathan tells him the story of both meeting his wife at a Chicago Cubs game, and catching a home run from Cubs legend Ernie Banks the same day, and how the two tied together. He gives Kevin the baseball and tells him to try to find Abbey again.
Things soon start going uphill for Kevin. For starters, he is put back on the ad campaign project (his former "partner" who got a promotion because of the pitch has him reinstated and apologizes). He gets put in charge of the billboards for the ad, and changes it to an apology for Abbey asking her to meet him at the station at 7. The billboard is all over town and the media wait with him at the scheduled time. After 15 minutes of Abbey not showing up, the TV crews start packing up and the spectators begin to disperse, but all stop when Kevin picks up a paper airplane thrown by Abbey telling him to look up. Kevin races up a flight of stairs to a breezeway over the tracks, where he asks Abbey for her name, and number. Abbey responds with, "Abbey, and I'd thought you'd never ask." They then kiss, much to the delight of the crowd at the station, and to the television viewers at home, and in a bar where his roommates are watching.
Life also gets better for Rod and Randy. Randy meets a girl at the bar while watching Kevin's meeting with Abbey, and finds that she, too, is interested in art. Meanwhile, Julie dumps Brady for Rod, who is offered a contract to the record label owned by his idol, Mick Silver (Richie Sambora
Richie Sambora
Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
), saying he liked Rod's demo tape, which Kevin sent in. Brady is given an advice column in the Living section of the Chicago Times
Chicago Times
The Chicago Times was a newspaper in Chicago from 1854 to 1895 when it merged with the Chicago Herald.The Times was founded in 1854, by James W. Sheahan, with the backing of Stephen Douglas, and was identified as a pro-slavery newspaper. In 1861, after the paper was purchased by Wilbur F...
.
Cast
- Lance BassLance BassJames Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
as Kevin - Emmanuelle ChriquiEmmanuelle ChriquiEmmanuelle Sophie Anne Chriqui is a Canadian film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role on HBO's Entourage as Sloan McQuewick, as well as the love interest of Adam Sandler in the movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan...
as Abbey - Joey FatoneJoey FatoneJoseph Anthony "Joey" Fatone, Jr. is an American singer, dancer, actor and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband, 'N Sync, in which he sang baritone. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars...
as Rod - Jerry StillerJerry StillerGerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
as Nathan - Richie SamboraRichie SamboraRichard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
as Mick Silver - James BulliardJames BulliardJames Bulliard is a Canadian actor.Born in Bern, Switzerland, he moved to Canada at the age of three and began his career on a radio program called Not the History of Rock and Roll at the age of six His first role in a feature film occurred in 1993, when he appeared in the movie Ordinary Magic,...
as Randy - Dave FoleyDave FoleyDavid Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown...
as Higgins - Tamala JonesTamala JonesTamala R. Jones is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the movies Booty Call, The Wood, Kingdom Come, The Brothers, and Two Can Play That Game...
as Jackie - Amanda ForemanAmanda Foreman (actress)Amanda Foreman is an American actress who is best known for the role of Meghan Rotundi on the college drama series Felicity.-Early life:...
as Julie - Chyna as Rod's date
- Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
(uncredited) as Make-up artist - Chris KirkpatrickChris KirkpatrickChristopher Alan "Chris" Kirkpatrick is an American singer, dancer, entertainer, and voice actor who is best known as a founding member of the pop group 'N Sync in which he sang counter tenor. He has provided the voice for many kids shows, including the voice of Chip Skylark on The Fairly Odd...
(uncredited) as Angelo the hairstylist
Cameos as themselves
- Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
- Ananda LewisAnanda LewisAnanda Lewis is an American television personality, social activist, and model. She appeared on Maxim and AskMen.com's Hottest Celebrity Lists in 2001...
- Sammy SosaSammy SosaSamuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
- Damon BufordDamon BufordDamon Buford is a retired Major League Baseball player. Buford played between 1993 and 2001 for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.-College career:...
- Eric Young
Production
According to a DVD release, the film was shot in Toronto, Canada and Chicago, Illinois.The original screenplay for the film would have received an R rating, but was rewritten to a PG so that it could be marketed to *NSYNC fans.
The short film on which the film was based starred Troy Garity
Troy Garity
Troy Garity is an American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Barry Winchell in the 2003 television movie Soldier's Girl, but may be best known for his role as Isaac Rosenberg in the Barbershop films.-Early life and...
, Charlie O'Connell
Charlie O'Connell
Charles "Charlie" O'Connell is an American actor and reality television personality. He is known for his appearance on The Bachelor, as well as appearing in several of his older brother, Jerry O'Connell's projects, including a starring role as Colin Mallory in the fourth season of the science...
, and Eric Michael Cole.
During the credits of the film, the film features a comedic clip of Lance Bass and Joey Fatone who played two of the main characters being made up by fellow *NSYNC members Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
and Chris Kirkpatrick
Chris Kirkpatrick
Christopher Alan "Chris" Kirkpatrick is an American singer, dancer, entertainer, and voice actor who is best known as a founding member of the pop group 'N Sync in which he sang counter tenor. He has provided the voice for many kids shows, including the voice of Chip Skylark on The Fairly Odd...
. Timberlake and Kirkpatrick played wardrobe managers yet *NSYNC member JC Chasez failed to appear.
Reception
The film was produced on a US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10 million budget. Miramax
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
marketed the film heavily towards *NSYNC's teen fans, and the film's soundtrack
On the Line (soundtrack)
On the Line is the soundtrack from the film of the same name. Released on November 3, 2001.- Track listing :#"On the Line" by The On the Line All-Stars featuring Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Mandy Moore, Christian Burns and True Vibe#"That Girl " On the Line is the soundtrack from the film of the...
featured songs by teen pop sensations Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore is an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Moore became famous as a teenager in the late 1990s, after the release of her teen pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. In 2007, she took an adult pop-folk direction with the release of...
and BB Mak, along with previously unreleased tracks by *NSYNC and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. However, the film was a box-office flop, and grossed only $4.3 million domestically.
The film was heavily criticized, especially by star critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, who said the film was "...an agonizingly creaky movie that laboriously plods through a plot so contrived that the only thing real about it is its length."
On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film holds a 19% 'rotten' rating with the consensus stating "An inept attempt at a romantic comedy aimed at 'Nsync fans."