Is there more to Cameron Diaz than a blindingly bright smile and a tiny tushy she adores wiggling in our faces?
You would think so based on Diaz‘s inexplicably remarkable accomplishments since she first danced into our lives in 1994’s The Mask. She’s lent her presence to more than 20 films, eight of which crossed $100 million.
She’s lucked into two franchises–Shrek and Charlie’s Angels–and toiled under
directors Cameron Crowe, Spike Jonze, Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.
But let’s face it, Diaz never seems more at ease than when she’s pulling off Jim Carrey-esque
pranks, as she did with pluck and abandon in There’s Something About Mary.
When it comes to drama, Diaz‘s lost. Think Gangs of New York, Vanilla Sky and Any
Given Sunday. She’s always the weakest link.
And thus Diaz scampers back to what she’s most comfortable doing: flashing her pearly whites while giving us a glimpse of her barely covered backside.
Take, for example, her new film, In Her Shoes.
This high-minded tale of sibling rivalry–directed by L.A. Confidential‘s Curtis Hanson–pits
party gal Diaz against straitlaced lawyer Toni Collette. The sisters get into a spat over a man, and a
dejected Diaz runs off to Florida to crash with the grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) she never knew.
Diaz clearly wants to be taken seriously as an actress. And you can’t blame her for placing her trust
in Hanson. If anyone could bring out the best in Diaz, it’s Hanson. He’s done far more with far less.
He fashioned Kim Basinger into an Oscar winner for L.A. Confidential, and he cunningly
elicited a surprisingly strong performance from rapper Eminem in 8 Mile.
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Cameron Diaz’s Greatest Hits* |
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Unfortunately, Hanson‘s all wrong for In Her Shoes. He never settles on the right tone for In Her Shoes. Is it a light and frothy chick flick? Or a heartfelt examination of family ties? In the end,
In Her Shoes proves emotionally inert and only mildly amusing.
With In Her Shoes suffering from an identity crisis, Diaz turns in yet another dramatically
lacking performance. Her most memorable moments are humorous in nature, and all usually involve
her rear end. Accordingly, Collette and MacLaine steal In Her Shoes from Diaz.
Then again, Diaz should be accustomed to this by now.
She’s never enjoyed much success when she’s front and center. The Sweetest Thing, A Life Less Ordinary and Feeling Minnesota all flopped with Diaz in charge. She fares best at
the box office when the burden of carrying a film is placed on many shoulders (Charlie’s Angels, Any Given Sunday, Being John Malkovich) or when she’s playing a supporting role
(Gangs of New York, Vanilla Sky, My Best Friend’s Wedding).
And Shrek owes little to Diaz. It’s hard to imagine Shrek without Mike Myers‘ grouchy ways or Donkey without Eddie Murphy‘s feverish enthusiasm. But Diaz as Princess Fiona? You could replace
Diaz with any of her contemporaries, from Drew Barrymore to Renée Zellweger, and it wouldn’t harm
Shrek. We’re not talking irreplaceable, like Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Nemo.
Thankfully, Shrek is the gift that will keep on giving, considering there are two sequels in the
works. The same can’t be said about Charlie’s Angels. The franchise stumbled with the
sequel, Full Throttle, which earned $100.8 million but was considered a disappointment. Has
anyone heard a peep about a third Charlie’s Angels? If there is to be one, will Diaz, Barrymore and Lucy Liu be back? And would anyone care if Diaz turned in her wings?
Charlie’s Angels proved that Diaz could kick butt just as well as she could jiggle it. But so
what? That’s not going to help 10 years from now, when Diaz is in her early 40s and the roles that
require her to be cute–or one of the guys–start to dry up.
If In Her Shoes succeeds–a possibility considering it could be a potential crowd-pleaser with
women of all ages–Diaz should thank her lucky stars she dodged a bullet. A hit should pave the way
for the more dramatic roles, such as the in-the-works W*A*S*P*S, a World War II drama about
the first women pilots to fly for the U.S. Air Force.
But does Diaz have a Monster in her? OK, we never thought Charlize Theron had a
Monster in her, but she never really did anything before Monster to convince us she
would one day win an Oscar. Diaz has had many chances to reveal us her true potential, and she’s
failed to impress. Somehow, it’s doubtful a Monster lurks within Diaz.
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A decade has gone by and what does Diaz have to show for herself? Yes, she’s starred in almost as many $100 million hits as My Best Friend’s Wedding co-star Julia Roberts. But she’s failed to make the most of her opportunities working with Martin Scorsese, Cameron Crowe and Curtis Hanson. She’s hardly improved as an actress when it comes to drama, as evidenced by In Her Shoes. Comedy remains Diaz‘s forte, but there’s only so many more years we’ll pay to see Diaz shaking her moneymaker. |
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