The 90s and 2000s seem like a golden era for rom-coms. They were a dime a dozen, from the more innocent and idealistic ones to the raunchy and raucous ones. The Sweetest Thing, despite its title, is very much the latter kind. Starring Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate, with Selma Blair pulling up a distant third as their recently dumped roommate and best friend, it was the kind of shenanigans that come off as off-color today but are still hilarious. It certainly earned its R-rating, as if it were a goalpost to pierce.
Cameron Diaz stars as Christina Walters and is more interested in finding “Mr. Right Now” than “Mr. Right.” A series of men are interviewed in the opening minutes, and they describe her as a woman who can get any kind of guy she wants. A player. A hot piece of ass. Compared to how the men describe her versus how she is first physically presented on screen, there is an interesting disconnect.
Based on how these scenes play out, it’s clear that she has an idea of what she wants and what she’s worth. She is not afraid to give the number to Moviefone to a guy who is clearly full of himself. The guy who calls her a “hot piece of ass” is first shown completely ignoring his colleague in the background, desperately trying to place office supplies on the top shelf. His annoyance at Christina’s dismissal boils down to thinking it happened because she’s a lesbian and not because he was an inconsiderate asshat who doesn’t appreciate or respect women.
This interview is called back on in the final scene, proving that the disconnect was the point.
One of the men comes off as a bit shy and anxious, and while her ignoring him may seem shallow and petty, his inclusion provides more insight into who Christina is and what she wants. The slate of men who talk about her are from all walks of life with various personalities and appearances. Christina is not shallow or “picky.” She’s simply a woman who knows what she wants, but she is willing to take a chance against her intuition so that she can see what’s really out there. Her disappointment and lack of follow-through represent her unwillingness to settle for less than she deserves. When it comes down to it, she’s also willing to fight tooth and nail for that person. Why else would she drive across the state to see if she missed out on the real thing. The fact that Christina treats them in the same way men generally treat women is just a simple coincidence.
Christina comes across as a woman who loves to have fun and enjoys her life. She is insecure at times, but she has her friends to fall back on, and they her. Whatever flaws the film may have (and it was thrashed upon its initial release), it is unfair to say that Christina was not a strong, powerful character. I always enjoy Cameron Diaz’s performances, and that is as true with The Sweetest Thing as it is for Charlie’s Angels and The Other Woman.
Christina Applegate plays Courtney Rockcliffe, a divorce lawyer and clearly Christina’s best friend. She is fun and energetic, yet clearly cutthroat when it comes to her job – taking pleasure out of draining the accounts of her client’s cheating spouses. Though wouldn’t we all love that? Courtney is also there through thick and thin for her friend, with her being the one to trek across California to a wedding they were not invited to meet up with a man they barely know, with whom Christina thinks she had a connection after two chance encounters. Friendship goals have never been so high.
Selma Blair plays Jane, and the mid-section part of her role in Cruel Intentions was thrown into a blender and intensified as much as possible. Is there a single scene in the movie where she is not involved in sex or talking about it? If there is, I can’t remember. Sex and humor go hand in hand with The Sweetest Thing, though it feels like Selma Blair had most of the workload thrust onto her (pun definitely intended). This is saying something, considering Cameron Diaz was the one who was poked in the eye through a glory hole. From attempting to discretely have her stained dress dry cleaned (and running into a former elementary school teacher and priest that she grew up with running into her while the dry cleaner inspecting the dress thoroughly) to having her boyfriend stuck inside of her due to the angle of his tool, her dramatic plotline is mere decoration.
One of the most common plot lines that we see in rom-coms, or films that are traditionally geared towards women, is the breakdown of the friendship (or just working relationship) between the women leading the film. I am pleased to inform you that this is not true for The Sweetest Thing. At no point do Christina, Courtney, or Jane turn on one another for their life choices, even if they backtrack on what they say they want to do. They support one another completely and consistently prop one another up in every scene they share. The true conflict of the film comes through miscommunication, per usual, but not on the part of the three central friends. It was a much-appreciated divergence from what appeared to be standard fare. Watching two unnamed extras do precisely this during a critical conversation between Christina and Courtney is a reminder of what could have been. Rather, they are discussing one another’s flaws and strengths while encouraging another random extra to simply feel up Courtney’s breast implants (they feel real, you know?). By the time the scene ends, no less than three women are feeling her breasts, and they’re still just talking. Still, these ladies have each other’s backs, and it is amazing to behold.
Thomas Jane plays Peter Donahue, who bumps into Christina and Jane while the former talks her into staying at the bar and hooking up with a guy to get over her ex. Christina grabs Peter’s ass to get his attention, and he politely declines their advances – most likely because of the massive reveal near the end of the movie. While waiting to order drinks, he overhears Christina perking up her friend, explaining that Peter is just a dick and that there is nothing wrong with her. Offended, he butts back into their conversation, and the pair get into a flirtatious argument. Jane sees another guy and breaks away to make out with him while they flirt and fight. Needless to say, the sparks are instant from the start.
Jason Bateman has a supporting role as Roger Donahue, Peter’s brother, who Christina and Courtney believe is the wedding they are crashing. It’s hard to say when Jason Bateman’s big break was, but he was certainly becoming a recognizable face. Roger is an obnoxious womanizer, so it’s easy to see how they could mistake it for his bachelor party, and he’s just blowing off steam. He does describe it as “his” wedding, sending the plot into overdrive. That Peter doesn’t correct him is… strange. Granted, Peter clearly never thought he would see Christina again aside from the after-party that he half-heartedly invited her to. A party that she did not attend.
The brothers also clearly have a close relationship, without judging one another for their choices. In fact, Roger spent much of his screen time encouraging Peter to go for Christina. At no point did Roger consider Peter’s prior engagement to be an obstacle to him enjoying himself. What that says about Roger as a person is for others to decide.
With how Peter and Christina spend their initial interaction, it is understandable how the pair could come to like one another after ten minutes.
Whether Peter is just trying to make sure that he is not viewed as an asshole or Christina is trying to feel her way towards a real relationship, the pair send signals to one another that were not meant to be interpreted like they were. After all, most people don’t like somebody to think badly about them, but Peter really went the extra mile in rehabilitating his image to a woman he did not know. Christina also unleashed a series of expert flirting moves to try and dispel Peter’s initial opinion of herself.
Much of its comedy can come off cringy, even when it was initially released. But comedies always have that issue. What can feel funny one moment (or during one viewing) can feel gross and uncouth another time. Our frame of mind will often determine whether the scene of a motorcyclist crashing his bike because he thinks two women are engaging in certain sexual acts is funny or not. It all depends.
Finally, you can always count on rom-com protagonists to have amazing jobs that allow them to take off with little notice – unless their job is part of the plot, thus throwing them into the action as a side effect. Being a designer, a successful one, no less, is an intense job that often has you dealing with demanding clients with an excess of money. Your BS detector is bar none. Her career is barely a line of dialogue, tho6ugh, and seems to have been included to explain how she could afford to live in San Francisco more than anything else. She’s designing a campaign for a sports line – and that’s all we know about her job. Is she in marketing? Does she do graphic design? Is she a fashion designer? We never find out.
Lloydd Marshall Books 