The Sweetest Thing

Trying perhaps a little too hard to prove that women can be every bit as bawdy as men, this raunchy romantic comedy not only borrows from There's Something About Mary, but even steals the same female protagonist. Cameron Diaz plays a no-commitments party girl who unexpectedly meets a guy (Thomas Jane) that makes her heart go all aflutter. By habit she blows him off, but then can't get him out of her head. Egged on by her trouble-making best friend Christina Applegate (who gets that Married With Children monkey off her back with a sublime--but not scene-stealing--comedic performance), Diaz goes hunting for this unforgettable fellow, even crashing a wedding he'd mentioned in passing. The Sweetest Thing is a movie with likable characters and a take-no-prisoners comedic free spirit, but in the process of trimming it to an expeditious 84 minutes, director Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions) never develops the plot much beyond its function as scaffolding on which to hang racy jokes. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include director and cast commentary (by Roger Kumble, Jason Bateman, Christina Applegate, Cameron Diaz and Selma Blair); "A Day in the Life of Nancy M. Pimental," a 19-minute satirically-themed featurette about writer Pimental; "Politically Erect," an eight-minute "making-of"; and storyboard comparisons. Bottom line: a cute extras package for a rather crude film.] (R. Blackwelder)