'NSucks

>> Pop idol steps onto the big screen with On the Line

by MATTHEW HAYS

From Elvis to Madonna, popular singing careers haven't often translated well to acting careers. People have trouble accepting pop icons as talented actors. And frankly, most of these people lack talent, so it's no wonder people won't accept them that way.

That script hasn't been messed with for On the Line. 'NSyncette Lance Bass plays an ad exec who bumps into a lovely gal on a subway platform. They immediately bond and feel like they have, like, so much in common. But alas, Bass fails to get a number, and she fades off into the train station.

Bass is soon obsessed with meeting her, subsequently xeroxing off tons of leaflets describing their meeting in detail and pasting them everywhere, in a desperate bid to find this woman he's sure is made for him (or at the very least would be good for one intense shag). Though many might not think of this as a deep film, there are some carefully thought-out subliminal messages buried within it. I'm not sure I understood them all correctly, but after sitting through On the Line I have the overwhelming feeling I should be eating more Reeboks and wearing more McDonald's.

There are also moments when the film managed to reflect real life. Bass spends much of the film in relationship limbo, not knowing if he'll ever see this girl again. Funny, but I spent much of the film feeling like I was in some sort of limbo, too. Also, there's a point where a character says love and romance are just things created to sell products. Funny, that's just about what this movie feels like.

It's also funny that a number of recent Hollywood movies have been asking us to ponder the role of fate in who we meet and what we do, how our lives will end up etc. It seems a bit odd to try to package a fairly deep question in the context of a genre this fluffy and idiotic.

Okay, okay, so what was I expecting? In fact, On the Line lived up to that question. I anticipated a vapid and dreary waste of time, a misspent chance at harnessing pop star power to bolster a half-decent romantic comedy. And that's precisely what I got.

On the Line opens Friday, Oct. 26