Plot: What’s it about?
Christina Walters (Cameron Diaz) loves to dance, party, and have as much fun as possible, but she has no intentions of settling down. Instead of looking for Mr. Right, she and her best friend Courtney (Christina Applegate) are interested in Mr. Right Now, just to have fun with and then cut loose when they’re finished. She has left a trail of broken hearts and even more broken egos, but Christina is almost convinced that there is no true Mr. Right. When she and Courtney take out their depressed friend Jane (Selma Blair) however, a routine trek to a dance club turns into an encounter with fate. When she grabs his ass to get his attention, Peter (Thomas Jane) takes notice and has words with her, which takes her by total surprise. But even more of a surprise is how much she liked him, even in that brief encounter she became attached. Unable to admit it to herself however, she winds up losing him and much to her dismay, she begins to regret her decision once things have settled down. But Courtney has a plan to reunite the two, so they embark on a road trip, unaware of the sheer chaos that awaits them…
I have to admit, I went to see this movie simply because of the trio of hottie leads, but in the end, this film was a let down in all respects. It was fun to watch Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, and Selma Blair let loose in some scenes, but with piss poor direction and some bad execution, The Sweetest Thing falls short of its potential. I have no problems with crude humor, but as is often the case these days, most of the material here is recycled junk, with about three-quarters of the gags being totally predictable. I suppose some credit is due for putting women in the main roles and it does add some spice to the picture, but even when Diaz and Applegate hit full stride, it fails to be as fun as it thinks it is. This is because of Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions), who cannot direct here to save his life and Nancy Pimental (Tv’s South Park), who insists on lifting bad jokes from other movies, then slapping a female spin on them. If you want to see the girls get crude and show off their undies, then The Sweetest Thing is worth a rental, but don’t expect too much. Columbia has released both the theatrical version and a special unrated edition, so if you do decide to nab this disc, make sure you go with the unrated release.
It is always fun to see Cameron Diaz dance in her undies, but when even that won’t save a movie, you know its bad. I almost feel sorry for Diaz here, as she gives a dynamic performance and simply doesn’t seem to know how bad the material is. But then again, she took in fifteen million bucks for her work here, so no need to send cards or what not. Diaz has such a charismatic presence and such boundless energy, it is a shame to see her wasted on such lackluster movies, but then again, all the stars do bad ones at some point. I do admire her effort on The Sweetest Thing, but as noble as that is, it simply isn’t enough to save the flick. Other films with Diaz include Any Given Sunday, Charlie’s Angels, The Mask, Vanilla Sky, and Gangs of New York. The cast also includes Christina Applegate (The Big Hit, Just Visiting), Selma Blair (Legally Blonde, Storytelling), and Thomas Jane (Deep Blue Sea, Original Sin).
Video: How does it look?
The Sweetest Thing is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. As we’ve come to expect, Columbia has issued a terrific visual effort here, as they do on almost all of their day & date releases. The print looks as clean as you’d expect from such a new release, while the image is sharp and refined at all times. The film’s vivid color scheme bounces to life in excellent fashion, with rich hues that shine with vibrance, but flesh tones don’t get left out, they look natural in this treatment as well. Just as solid is the contrast, which provides superb black levels and a high level of detail throughout. A few minor flaws kick up at times, but on the whole, this is a wonderful visual effort and fans will be quite pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
A standard comedy mix is found here, which means the included Dolby Digital 5.1 track is solid, but offers little beyond the basics. As the main element here is dialogue, this never proves to be a problem and when the material needs a little kick, the track supplies it. Of course, this means letting the musical soundtrack wander through the surrounds, but outside of that, there’s little dynamic presence to mention. Even so, the material doesn’t suffer as a result and as such, I see no reason to raise a ruckus here. This disc also includes a French language option, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A helium infused audio commentary track starts us off, as director Roger Kumble is joined by stars Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, and Jason Bateman. This is by no means an informative track, but it offers some humorous moments, as the participants take a few helium hits, then share their thoughts on the movie. This disc also includes a spoof featurette with writer Pimental, a brief behind the scenes featurette, some talent tiles, storyboard comparisons, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
