Comedy Pick: The Sweetest Thing (2002)
The Sweetest Thing was victim to a bit of a critical mauling upon release – apparently it didn’t transcend the depths of its character’s souls sufficiently. And the women? What crude gags emanate from their perfectly-lined lips!
Well, listen up. Three single ladies living in San Francisco, Christina (Cameron Diaz), Courtney (Christina Applegate) and Jane (Selma Blair) are equally as funny as their male counterparts, the closest of which could possibly be considered The Hangover boys? Whereas those men are given goals revolving around their own drunken debauchery and selfishness, these gals are after romance. That’s typical.
Doesn’t mean the romance ain’t littered with vile humour and total silliness at every turn. Diaz and Applegate appear to have a total laugh riot, ending up on a road trip to pursue a potential love interest for the former. A wacky ‘80s costume-change montage and a glory hole gag are two of the set-ups the pair tear down, which set a bloody good tone. The good scrum is in the details between the three leading ladies though; calling each other up at work using phony accents, borrowing clothes leading to unforeseen sexual awkwardness with former teachers – there’s a wealth of genuinely funny encounters waiting to be reassessed!
Oh yes – keep your eyes peeled for a couple of cracking supporting turns from a drunken Jason Bateman and Parker Posey as a weepy bride-to-be.
Perhaps its only downfall was that it had to be strung together in the pursuit of finding a male companion; couldn’t the romance have taken a back seat to truly deliver a Hangover for women, as Bridesmaids eventually became?