You’ve probably heard about the “Dueling Britneys” aspect of the video.  Her shorn head has had at least one benefit: With the amount of wig options, she can, with little effort, play two people.  In the Gimme More video she plays the “Classy, Rich” Britney, a blonde version hanging out at the bar of a strip club with other blonde, classy, rich friends.  The problem with Classy Britney, I found, was that she reminded me just a little too much of Real Britney: The drinks flowing, the stupefied look on her face, the unnecessary and inexplicable laughter.  I found Classy Britney a little scary, or in other words, not classy at all.  I don't believe that was the intended effect.

Then, like a shot of Prairie Fire at a biker bar, White Trash Britney appeared, which to my surprise, and the surprise of millions around the world, is a Britney we’ve never seen.  It must have been the hair: A crew cut with long black strands running along her face.  It might be the least attractive Britney we’ve ever seen.  Whoever created that costume should be fired. 

Next arrives the video’s purpose and point of existence: Pole Dancing Britney, which serves up some of the least inspired pole dancing I’ve ever seen.  Put it this way: If you saw that kind of thing at your local strip club, you would take the opportunity to leave your seat and take care of your bathroom business, followed by a refill at the bar.  She clutches the pole with her right hand the entire time and offers none of the snap and effort that we’ve known from Britney videos over the years.  In short, rather than playing the hot, sexy stripper the video clearly intended, she more closely resembles actual strippers: Tired, bored, embarassed, insecure, and unhappy.  I'm talking about the video still, not Real Life Britney, for whom the same description could probably be made.

But someone thought Pole Dancing Britney was doing a good job (and who knows...maybe she wasn’t the easiest person to work with during shooting: Not a big surprise).  They could’ve cut the amount of time she spent on the pole in half and it still would’ve been too much.

Another thing that will be immediately obvious on your second viewing (yes, the song is good enough to listen to twice, though you might not make it through if you listen right away, with the phrase “Gimme More” growing as irritating as nails on a chalkboard) is that this video was probably one of the most simple and effortless that anyone has shot since MTV began in the early 80s.  If it took longer than 5 hours to make I’d be shocked.  The producer and director probably intended that, however. 

In the end what matters is the song, and Gimme More is quality dance music.  The video basically sucks, but it’s far better than the VMAs.  It might be the worst video of Spears’ career, but the song is one of her strongest. 

On my third and final review, however, I noticed something I hadn't seen the first two times: “Did I just see a boob?!” I said to myself.  Check it out at 3 minutes and 5 seconds, and decide for yourself.  I’m pretty sure it’s a boob.  Nice touch.  The video's a winner.