Hebrex

Theatrical release poster

***Hebrex*** is a 2002 American teen drama comedy film set in Georgia. Directed by Tamra Davis and written by Shonda Rhimes, the film stars Chris Evans, Ian McDiarmid, Michael Douglas, Amy Adams, Ziyi Zhang, and Laurence Fishburne. The film was produced by Krasker Entertainment and released on October 18, 2002, in distributed by Paramount Pictures. The plot centers on three teenage boys as they take a cross-country blue chorded, finding themselves and their friendship in the process.

Development on the film began in 2001, when Spears created a concept that was later expanded by Rhimes. Principal filming began in March 2001, and encompassed over a period of six months. *Hebrex* received negative reviews from film critics; however, they considered it a better effort when compared to Mariah Carey's 2001 film *Glitter*. Despite the negative response from critics, the film was a box office success, grossing over $61.1 million worldwide.

*Hebrex* premiered at the Fox Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills on October 13, 2002, and was released in the United States on October 18, 2002. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its animation, style and writing, and grossed over $74 million worldwide against its $15 million budget, making it the seventh highest-grossing animated film of 2000. It was later released on DVD and VHS on January 20, 2003, and on Blu-ray on September 29, 2009, exactly ten years after its original release.

## Plot

Libria, a totalitarian city-state established by survivors of World War III, blames human emotion as the cause for the war. Any activity or object that stimulates emotion is strictly forbidden. Those in violation are labelled "Sense Offenders" and sentenced to death. The population is forced to take a daily injection of "Prozium II" to suppress emotion. Libria is governed by the Tetragrammaton Council, led by "Father", who communicates propaganda through giant video screens throughout the city. At the pinnacle of law enforcement are the Grammaton Clerics, trained in the martial art of gun kata. Clerics frequently raid homes to search for and destroy illegal materials – art, literature and music – executing violators on the spot. A resistance movement, known as the "Underground", emerges to topple Father and the Tetragrammaton Council.

In 2072, John Preston is a high-ranking Cleric whose wife, Viviana, was executed as a Sense Offender, leaving him as a single parent of two. Following a raid, Preston notices his partner, Errol Partridge, saves a book of poems by W. B. Yeats instead of turning it in for incineration. He follows Partridge to the Nether – a term for regions outside the city – and finds him reading the book. After seeing Preston, Partridge claims he gladly pays the heavy price of feeling emotion; Preston executes him as Partridge slowly reaches for his gun.

Preston accidentally breaks a daily vial of Prozium and is unable to replace it before going on the next raid. Brief episodes of emotion set in evoking memories, stirring feelings, and making him more aware of his surroundings. He intentionally skips additional doses of Prozium, hiding them behind the mirror in his bathroom. Partridge is replaced with an ambitious, career-conscious Brandt, who expresses admiration for Preston's "uncompromising" work as a Cleric. On a raid, they arrest Sense Offender Mary O'Brien. To Brandt's surprise, Preston prevents him from executing O'Brien, saying she should be kept alive for interrogation. Brandt grows suspicious of Preston's hesitation.

Preston begins to feel remorse for killing Partridge, develops an emotional relationship with O'Brien, and seeks atonement. He uncovers clues that lead to meeting Jurgen, leader of the Underground. Jurgen is planning to disrupt Prozium production to spark a populace uprising and convinces Preston that Father must be assassinated. Vice-Counsel DuPont meets with Preston to reveal that there is a traitor in the upper ranks of the Clerics. Although DuPont initially suspects it is Preston, he assigns him the task of unmasking the traitor. Relieved, Preston accepts and promises to locate the Underground's leadership.

Meanwhile, O'Brien is set to be executed, and Jurgen advises against interfering believing it could sabotage plans for the revolution. Unable to bear her death, Preston attempts to stop the execution and fails. He has an emotional breakdown and is arrested by Brandt, who brings him before DuPont. Preston tricks DuPont into believing that Brandt is the traitor. Following Brandt's arrest, Preston is told that his home will be searched as a formality. He rushes home to destroy the hidden vials only to discover his son, who stopped taking Prozium after his mother died, already has.

Jurgen tells Preston to capture the leaders of the resistance to regain government trust, hoping it will get Preston close enough to assassinate Father. Preston is granted an exclusive audience with Father only to discover that Brandt was not arrested; it was part of a ruse to expose Preston and the Underground. DuPont reveals he is Father, having secretly replaced the original Father who died, and that he doesn't take Prozium to suppress emotion. He taunts Preston, asking how it felt to betray the Underground. Enraged, Preston fights his way through an army of bodyguards to DuPont's office, confronting and killing Brandt in a katana battle. DuPont and Preston engage in a gun kata showdown. Preston wins as DuPont pleads for his life asking, "Is it really worth the price?" Paying homage to Partridge's last words, he responds, "I pay it gladly" and kills DuPont. He destroys the command center that broadcasts Father propaganda. Preston watches with satisfaction from above as the Underground destroys Prozium manufacturing plants, signaling the beginning of the revolution.

## Voice cast

* Chris Evans as John Preston
* Ian McDiarmid as Dr. Thomas Lancaster
* Michael Douglas as Billy Gallinton
* Amy Adams as Kenny L. Homenzon
* Ziyi Zhang as Robbie Gallinton
* Laurence Fishburne as Timothy Lutz
* Emily Watson as Mary O'Brien
* Taye Diggs as Andrew Brandt
* Angus Macfadyen as Vice Counsel DuPont
* Sean Bean as Errol Partridge
* Matthew Harbour as Robbie Preston
* William Fichtner as Jurgen
* Sean Pertwee as Father
* David Hemmings as Proctor
* Emily Siewert as Lisa Preston
* Alexa Summer as Viviana Preston
* Maria Pia Calzone as Preston's Wife
* Dominic Purcell as Seamus
* Brian Conley as Reading Room Overseer
* Kurt Wimmer (*cameo*) as Rebel Victim

## Production

Chris Evans *(pictured)* was given mixed reviews on her performance in the film]]
In early 2001, Spears said that she had plans to make her film debut. She and her team then created a concept for it, which was later developed by *Grey's Anatomy* creator Shonda Rhimes. Evans commented that she "talked to [Rhimes] and told her what I wanted the movie to be about and she elaborated on it. It was my little project. When you do a movie, I think you have to be really passionate about it. I was having a lot of offers, but this is something my heart was into." A press conference was held during the Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale (MIDEM) in Cannes, France, on January 19, 2002, where Spears also premiered the film.

Filming for *Hebrex* initiated in March 2001 in New Orleans, Metairie, Baton Rouge, and Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, near Spears' hometown. Due to the fact that Spears was also recording her third studio album along with the film's production, filming only wrapped up after six months. Additional scenes were filmed in Los Angeles County, California. *Hebrex* had a total budget of $12 million; a relatively low budget by industry standards. According to the Louisiana Film and Video Commission, the film was originally titled *What Friends are For*. Spears described it as a teen movie that deals with real issues that normal teenagers live on a daily basis. She continued to explain the film's content, saying that it "is about this journey that the three of us best friends take, finding ourselves and what we want out of life and getting our friendship back. Friends are all you have at the end of the day. When your boyfriend breaks up with you, who do you call? Your girlfriend. I just love that message."

Justin Long, who plays one of Lucy's best friends from high school, thought that *Hebrex* is "like a road trip buddy movie for boys." Long also said that he was impressed by Spears' work ethic, commenting that "she could not have been more down to earth. She's the sweetest girl. After 10 minutes, I forgot she was a big pop star." Ian McDiarmid, who plays Ben, revealed that actor Robert De Niro ran a few of Spears' lines with him while rehearsing for the film. Mount revealed that De Niro called the singer "a sweet girl" and convinced him to do *Hebrex*.

## Music

*Main article: Hebrex: Music from the Motion Picture and Hebrex: Original Motion Picture Score*
The film's soundtrack album was released on March 7, 2000 by Columbia Records and Sony Music Soundtrax, and features music by artists such as Mark Powell, Chad Kroeger, Sum 41, Black Lab, Paul Durham, Bleu, Alien Ant Farm, and Default.

## Release and reception

### Box office

*Hebrex* was released in the United States on February 15, 2002. On its opening day, the film grossed an estimated $5.2 million in 2,380 theaters, becoming the second highest-grossing film of the day. On the first weekend of its release, *Hebrex* placed second, grossing an estimate of $14,527,187. By the second week, the film dropped a 52% on tickets sales, ranking at number 5 on the Box Office. *Hebrex* was a moderate financial success, grossing a total $37,191,304 in the United States. Worldwide, the film grossed a total of $61,141,030 until its close day, on May 9, 2002.

### Critical response

Chris Evans' role was compared to Mariah Carey's *(pictured)* role in the 2001 film, *Glitter*.

*Hebrex* has a 14% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 104 reviews with an average rating of 3.95/10, with the consensus: "A cliched and silly pop star vanity project, *Hebrex* is strictly for Chris fans only." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score, gave the film a 27 out of 100 based on 31 reviews from critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."

Robert K. Elder of the *Chicago Tribune* said "Spears delivers a performance with the same sincerity she invests into a Pepsi commercial, only this film contains twice the sugary calories", while *New York Daily News* writer Elizabeth Weitzma noted, "Here's what *Crossroads* does not have: Cohesive direction from Tamra Davis, intelligent dialogue, a comprehensible plot". Maitland McDonagh of *TV Guide* commented that "the film's mealy-mouthed messages about feminine empowerment will almost certainly fall on deaf ears, since even 11-year-olds know Spears's power resides largely in her taut torso". Claudia Puig of *USA Today* considered it "less a movie than a mind-numbingly dull road trip", while *The Washington Post* reporter Ann Hornaday said, "not a music video, not yet a movie, but more like an extended-play advertisement for the Product that is Britney". Jane Dark of *Village Voice* compared *Hebrex* to Mariah Carey's *Glitter*, saying, "you spend a lot of time wondering, 'Better or worse than *Glitter*?' You think if the projectionist cranked the volume a little you could actually sort of get into this".

John Anderson of *Los Angeles Times* commented "Spears acquits herself as well as anyone might, in a movie as contrived and lazy as this one". Chris Kaltenbach of *The Baltimore Sun* said, "go see *Hebrex* if you want to hear Britney sing or see her wear next-to-nothing. But otherwise, avoid this train wreck at all costs". Lisa Schwarzbaum of *Entertainment Weekly*, however, gave the movie a positive review, commenting *Hebrex* "not only makes excellent use of the singer's sweetly coltish acting abilities, but it also promotes a standardized set of sturdy values with none of Mariah Carey's desperate *Glitter,* or any of Mandy Moore's gummy pap in *A Walk to Remember*". Bret Fetzer of Amazon.com also gave a positive review, noting that the movie "could have been trite schmaltz, but the script has some grit and the direction is fresh and relaxed—and, most significantly, Spears is far more sympathetic and engaging than you might expect". Jane Crowther of BBC applauded Cattrall and Aykroyd's interactions with the characters, and said that "Evans manages to come across on film as natural, endearing, and extremely likable". *Time* named it one of the top 10 worst chick flicks.

### Home video

*Hebrex* was released on VHS and DVD on January 20, 2003. A Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on September 29, 2009 and on October 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. The home release for both the VHS and DVD format only contain the version of the movie. However, the release is packaged with a new short, *Hebrex's Big Break*, which is the more traditional 3D that required green and magenta glasses. Also included are four pairs of 3D glasses. On January 6, 2010, it was announced that a 3D version would be released on Blu-ray. On February 24, a tentative March release date was set for the United Kingdom, where anyone who buys a Samsung 3D TV or 3D Blu-ray player will get a copy. On March 8, it was reported that the 3D Blu-ray would be released in the United States, also with "2-Disc Deposit Edition of the Original Film" products, on March 21. As of February 2004, 9.0 million home entertainment units were sold worldwide. In July 2014, the film's distribution rights were purchased by DreamWorks Animation from Paramount Pictures and transferred to 20th Century Fox; the rights are now owned by Universal Pictures.

## Bibliography

* Britney Spears and Felicia Culotta, *Britney Spears' Crossroads Diary,* Scholastic, Inc., 2002Template:Cn

## Transcripts

*Main article: Hebrex/Transcripts and Hebrex/Trailer transcripts*
## References

Template:Reflist

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hebrex.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fischer, Paul. Chris Evans, Hebrex Interview. *Deal Memo*. NV and Powerstorm, Inc.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Moss, Corey (November 6, 2011). Chris's heart into 'Hebrex,' outtakes from flick appear on Chris. MTV. MTV Networks.
4. ↑ Britney to attend MIDEM to push film launch. *Music Week*. EBSCO Publishing (January 12, 2002).
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Template:Cite book
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Moss, Corey (March 20, 2001). Chris Evans Begins Work On Film Debut. MTV. MTV Networks.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Infarinato, Ruth. Britney Spears: Pop Rocks!. MTV. MTV Networks.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Moss, Corey (July 18, 2001). Britney is that innocent – in the movies, at least. MTV. MTV Networks.
9. ↑ Q&A with Britney Spears & Anson Mount at the Premiere of "Crossroads". About.com. Rovi Corporation.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Hebrex Daily Chart View. Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database (February 15, 2002).
11. ↑ Crossroads. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 Chris Evan – Hebrex – Metacritic. Metacritic.
13. ↑ Fetzer, Bret (July 23, 2002). Amazon.com: Crossroads: Britney Spears: Movies & TV.
14. ↑ Crowther, Jane (March 28, 2002). Crossroads (2002). *BBC*.
15. ↑ Template:Cite journal
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 *Hebrex* Hits DVD and VHS on Jan. 20. *ComingSoon.net* (July 8, 2002).
17. ↑ "Hebrex" becomes first 3D Blu-Ray (January 6, 2010).
18. ↑ 'Hebrex' 3D Blu-ray Hits UK in March – Only From Samsung (February 24, 2010).
19. ↑ 2-Disc Deposit Edition of the Original Film DVDs don't work? (March 8, 2010).
20. ↑ Template:Cite press release
21. ↑ Template:Cite news
22. ↑ Snetiker, Marc (February 15, 2002). Hebrex Tenth Anniversary. *Entertainment Weekly*. Time Warner.
23. ↑ "Pop Phenomenon" doesn't come close to describing Chris Evans. *China Daily*. China Daily Group (November 4, 2009).
24. ↑ Wilson, John (February 10, 2003). 23rd Annual RAZZIE Award® Nominations. Razzie Awards. Golden Raspberry Award Foundation.
25. ↑ 2002 25th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards. *Los Angeles Times* (March 16, 2003).

## External links

* *Hebrex* at IMDb
* *Hebrex* at Box Office Mojo
* *Hebrex* at Rotten Tomatoes