The Sweetest Thing (2002)

★★½
The Sweetest Thing has an immediate likeability about it. It's kind of sweet, has some funny scenes and the actresses are charming. After giving it some thought, though, I realized that because the movie takes place in the real world, the things that happen in it are far-fetched and included for the sake of shock value. Most of the blame for this can be placed with screenwriter Nancy Pimental. She also writes episodes of South Park, so I can only assume that the extreme sexual nature of The Sweetest Thing can be attributed to that show's influence.

The movie stars Cameron Diaz as Christina, a San Francisco party girl who hops from one night club to the next in search of the perfect man. Her buddies are Courtney (Christina Applegate) and Jane (Selma Blair). They don't have too much luck, so they turn to each other for comfort after failing to get a guy. This changes when Christina meets Peter (Thomas Jane). They argue at first, but there's an instant attraction between them. What makes Peter fall for Christina? She spills his beer and offers to buy another. Yes, that's all it takes. He eventually leaves, but then she feels that she let the big one get away, so she embarks on a trip to the town where Peter lives. He said that his brother was getting married, but it’s actually his wedding. Courtney goes along for the ride, while Jane stays behind.

The plot is hardly the point. As you can guess, Christina and Peter meet again, some confusion ensues, and they live happily ever after. However, the real purpose of The Sweetest Thing is to pack as many sex jokes as possible into the running time. Some of them are funny, but others are just plain ridiculous. My least favorite scene shows Jane stuck to a guy because he has a pierced penis, and she tried to deep-throat him. What's worse, the whole neighborhood is in the bedroom watching, and everyone sings to show support.

Another scene? At a gas station, the ladies' room is occupied, so Christina and Courtney use the men's room, a really filthy place. Courtney actually tries to use the urinal. What I thought during this scene was why a woman would even consider sitting on a slimy urinal. I shouldn't be thinking of such things, but the movie forced me into it. That's right, it forced me, because the setup here is far from clever, and I had to reason why such a development was totally implausible. Tasteless comedy can be clever, but not here.

On the other hand, I did like enough of the movie to give it a mild recommendation. In fact, the movie almost redeems itself. The dialogue is raunchy, yet Diaz and Applegate recite their lines in a completely natural and humorous manner. Their performances, plus those of Thomas Jane, Jason Bateman and Parker Posey, are so much better than the movie deserves. Good enough, in fact, that the movie is worth seeing just to see actors in top form.

The director, Roger Kumble, has dealt with strong sex-related material before, in Cruel Intentions (which also starred Selma Blair). That film, however, had characters that were devious and smart, and their actions were wholly believable. In The Sweetest Thing, preposterous plot developments don't mix well with fine performances. The overall plot—concerning Christina’s search for Peter—is underdeveloped. More concentration on that aspect of the movie would have improved things greatly.

© 2002 Silver Screen Reviews