Though Cameron Diaz hasn’t been active in Hollywood in recent years, the Shrek star’s comedy bonafides cannot be denied. Long before she appeared in genre-defining rom-coms such as 2014’s Sex Tape, 2011’s Bad Teacher, and 2008’s What Happens In Vegas, Diaz lit up the screen with an explosive road-trip comedy called The Sweetest Thing, which is available to stream on Netflix right now.
Cameron Diaz’s 2002 rom-com The Sweetest Thing is now streaming on Netflix.
Cameron Diaz stars in The Sweetest Thing alongside a host of A-list talent, including The Expanse‘s Thomas Jane, Dead To Me’s Christina Applegate, Hellboy‘s Selma Blair, and Ozark‘s Jason Bateman. The film was directed by Cruel Intentions filmmaker Roger Kumble, who later went on to direct a number of television episodes, including Pretty Little Liars, Suits, and The Goldbergs.
Cameron Diaz’s character in The Sweetest Thing was apparently based on the real-life exploits of the film’s writer, Nancy M. Pimental, who would go on to write dozens of episodes for hilarious television series such as South Park and Shameless.
Christina Applegate and Selma Blair’s characters were inspired by Pimental’s long-time best friend, Grey’s Anatomy‘s Kate Walsh. The film follows Cameron Diaz’ Christina, known among the single men in her area as a player, refusing to settle down in a serious relationship.
One of the central themes of The Sweetest Thing centers around the inversion of classic rom-com tropes of the 1980s and 1990s, which often saw men behaving in highly promiscuous fashion while waiting for the ideal woman to show up and finally make them crave the quiet suburban peace of a committed relationship.
After several chance encounters with Thomas Jane’s Peter, Cameron Diaz begins to feel as though she’s growing too close, and decides to blow off his invitation to meet at a party. Shortly thereafter, Diaz regrets her decision, causing her and her friends to go on a cross-state road trip in order to accompany Peter and his obnoxious brother to a wedding and possibly win back his affection.
From here, The Sweetest Thing dives into a number of classic road-trip movie setups.
Some of these road-trip situations include raunchy bathroom humor such as an exploding toilet, a series of sexual innuendoes brought on by miscommunication and misunderstanding, and a makeover montage that left audiences of 2002 in complete and utter stitches.
Besides Cameron Diaz, The Sweetest Thing features Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Thomas Jane, and Jason Bateman.
When Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate finally arrive at the wedding during the final act of The Sweetest Thing, they are horrified at a final twist, causing them to doubt everything they thought they knew.
Though the film serves as a classic comedy throwback, it has largely been forgotten by modern audiences. The film serves as one of Cameron Diaz’ lowest critical successes, with The Sweetest Thing clocking in at only 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, the film made money at the box office, which is more than many popular blockbusters can say in 2023, as films such as The Flash and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania continue to crash and burn against their hefty budgets.
Cameron Diaz went on to star in a number of popular films following the release of The Sweetest Thing, reprising her role as Princess Fiona from the Shrek films in a number of animated appearances, as well as starring in a number of more critically acclaimed romantic comedies.
Still, The Sweetest Thing serves as something of a blueprint for modern sex comedies whose plot centers around a series of hilarious set-pieces.
Cameron Diaz is coming back to acting next year alongside Jaime Foxx in the action comedy Back in Action.
Cameron Diaz last starred in a leading film role in 2014, where she appeared in three major films before taking a prolonged hiatus from acting. After first announcing that she was officially saying goodbye to Hollywood after her final performances in films such as Annie, Sex Tape, and The Other Woman, the Sweetest Thing star has since agreed to lead a film alongside Jamie Foxx titled Back In Action.
Back In Action promises to showcase Cameron Diaz as smarter, stronger, and better than ever before. This news is quite exciting for fans of the performer, as recent news of a Shrek reboot has many fans wondering if she’ll agree to sign back on to reprise her most iconic role.
For those fans that can’t wait for Cameron Diaz’s comeback, The Sweetest Thing is currently streaming on Netflix.
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