"Leave Britney alone!"
Such was the clever call-back from viewers to a Britney Spears biopic that's been widely panned online following its US premiere.
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Fans slam Britney Spears biopic
Taking to Twitter, fans have voiced their dislike for the Britney Spears biopic Britney Ever After for historical inaccuracies and an awkward dance-off.
Britney Ever After, a much-anticipated Lifetime movie following Spears' rise through the Mickey Mouse Club to chart-topping glory to her highly-publicised 2007 nervous breakdown, was called "a huge embarrassment" and a "trainwreck" by Spears fans.
"How many of you feel personally victimised by Lifetime TV's Happily Ever After?" asked one widely shared tweet.
"This is more like a spoof than a biopic," another viewer said.
omg me & the gays are watching #BritneyEverAfter & i am GASPING, this ain't right y'all, she does NOT deserve THIS!!
— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) February 19, 2017
Britney walking into Lifetime headquarters like #BritneyEverAfter pic.twitter.com/mUO1y7NmoX
— Adil (@Kylieesi) February 19, 2017
BRITNEY WORE A DENIM DRESS NOT A DENIM PANTSUIT I CANT TAKE THE HISTORICAL INACCURACY #britneyeverafter
— Ally (@allytweets15) February 19, 2017
Who lit this movie #britneyeverafter and why does he hate women?
— Sarah Michelle (@SarahMGellar) February 19, 2017
"Why would anybody enjoy someone else's pain?" asks Lifetime, after making a movie that grossly distorts someone's life. #BritneyEverAfter
— Joel Kramer (@Joel_K_Kramer) February 19, 2017
Why couldn't Lifetime just leave Britney alone?! #BritneyEverAfter
— Jessica Cantor (@cantosaurus) February 19, 2017
The film, which saw Australian actress Natasha Bassett playing the pop star, was slammed for its low-budget production, wooden acting and an awkward script largely based on unfounded gossip from Spears' three-year relationship with fellow pop star Justin Timberlake.
The couple infamously split in 2002, amid rumours of Spears' infidelity (although I'm sure double-denim came between them, too).
Among fans' biggest gripes was the innuendo over a long-rumoured but never confirmed sex tape between Spears and Timberlake, and a post-breakup club run-in, once reported in Us Weekly, where the two apparently worked through their animosity with a sultry dance battle.
Bassett, the Sydney-born NIDA graduate who last year had a breakout role in the Coen Bros' Hail Caesar!, was also singled out over her "hillbilly" accent.
"Where did y'all find this actress playing Britney? This just ruined her career before it started," one viewer's widely shared tweet said.
Where did y'all find this actress playing Britney? This just ruined her career before it started #BritneyEverAfter pic.twitter.com/PXn9dQfd35
— (@belizeanqueen_) February 19, 2017
Me with the actor that plays Britney #BritneyEverAfter pic.twitter.com/4ZMtVZJlZw
— Princess (@ShadePrincesss) February 20, 2017
In an interview with Billboard ahead of its premiere, Bassett called the movie "a feminist story at its core" and had hoped Spears would the film, saying "it shines a really positive light on Britney and how she's overcome challenges that she's faced throughout her life."
Lifetime, known for their wildly melodramatic (and often exploitative) TV movies, had recently produced films on the lives of late singers Whitney Houston and Aaliyah, which were also poorly received. Both projects were publicly opposed by the stars' families.
Britney Ever After is yet to receive a local airdate, which might be for the best.
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