Christina Walters (Cameron Diaz) and best friend Courtney (Christina Applegate) haven’t yet left the singles’ party, and “date then ditch” is rule number one for this couple that makes sure each new fling has no strings attached. But one of them is about to break the inviolate rule, when she falls for a stranger in a nightclub…
After fantasizing about him through the night, Christina and comrade Courtney make a long road trip to find the man of the former’s dreams…only to find him about to take his vows with another woman at the altar. The girls beat a discomfited and somewhat defeated retreat, with a renewed lesson in the disasters of rule-breaking. But, love being “the sweetest thing”, Christina does find enough of it finally to be able to dump her old rules for a new, better set.
In a film that flaunts its lightweight storyline, “The Sweetest Thing” rides solely on the curves of its protagonists with no pretensions of progressive picture making. Diaz fits the role of beautiful, disarming Christina better than most, and Applegate is unexpectedly audacious and funny. The girls get pretty risqué on their road trip, and let a lot more than just their hair down. Selma Blair (from “Cruel Intentions”) as Jane Burns, the third appendage in their trio, is allowed her share of the apple pie, though it sometimes seems like she’s only there to serve as key functionary in some of the more indelicate episodes.
With its fair share of clichés and downright ridiculous moments, “The Sweetest Thing” is eventually like fat-free sugar - you enjoy it while it lasts, but you won’t gain a thing from it!
This article was first published on 20 Dec 2002.