Bad Teacher and the 10 top Cameron Diaz performances of all time
By Reed Gaudens
10. The Sweetest Thing
Original release date: The Sweetest Thing hit theaters on April 12, 2002.
Box office earnings: In spite of lackluster reviews, the film managed to perform modestly at the box office, hitting No. 3 in its opening weekend. The Sweetest Thing went on to bring in over $68 million against a budget of $43 million.
Critical acclaim: Unsurprisingly, The Sweetest Thing didn’t wow critics. The romantic comedy holds a low Rotten Tomatoes score of 26%, with most critics noting the thin plotting and divisive gags. However, the film did earn a spot on Ebert and Roeper’s Worst of 2002 year-end list for “Big Stars in Big Bombs,” which in retrospect feels like a humbling honor all its own.
About the role: Diaz headlines The Sweetest Thing as Christina Walters, a serial casual dater who finds herself called on her game when she meets Peter Donahue (Thomas Jane). Thinking she’d found someone who could be “the one,” Christina can’t track him down and believes she’s blown it yet again. But when her best friend Courtney (Christina Applegate) forces her to take a road trip to find her lost chance of love, Christina embarks on an uphill battle to undo well-worn patterns.
Why it’s the best: Look, against her impressive and expansive filmography, most wouldn’t single out The Sweetest Thing as a career-best performance from Cameron Diaz. The exclusion of other films isn’t the negation of Diaz’s amazing work in them, but it’s about time we lift up The Sweetest Thing.
While some aspects have aged poorly, the chemistry between Diaz, Applegate, and Selma Blair hasn’t, and fans are still finding things to love about the underrated rom-com. Diaz unofficially announced her retirement from acting during a reunion for the film, which makes it all the more of an important piece of her legacy.