Netflix Raunchy R-Rated Comedy Gives Christina Applegate Her Best Movie Role
If you’ve been following the news in recent months, you may be aware of the fact that Christina Applegate has tragically been in a long, difficult battle with multiple sclerosis. As her condition worsens, she has even begun to come to terms with the fact that she may not be here for much longer. Despite her misfortune, Applegate has had plenty of time to cement her legacy as a hilarious and beautiful on-screen talent, with films like 2002’s The Sweetest Thing, which is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Based Loosely On Real-Life Exploits
Christina Applegate stars in The Sweetest Thing alongside the likes of Cameron Diaz, Thomas Jane, Selma Blair, and Zootopia‘s Jason Bateman. Roger Kumble helmed the film, before eventually pivoting to focus on more television filmmaking, directing episodes of Pretty Little Liars, The Goldbergs, and Suits. The film was written by South Park staff writer Nancy M. Pimental, who apparently based the off-the-wall story on her own wild exploits dating and engaging in hook-up culture alongside her long-time best friend Kate Walsh, whom you may recognize from performances in television projects such as The Umbrella Academy, Emily In Paris, and Grey’s Anatomy.
A Classic Road Trip With A Twist
When Pimental wrote The Sweetest Thing, she set out to flip the concept of most existing rom-com tropes on their head, by giving women more agency, offering characters who explore their freedom, and showcasing men chasing committed relationships, rather than shying away from them. The film centers on Cameron Diaz’s Christina, who refuses to settle down with one man. After her fear of commitment causes her to blow her shot with a really sweet guy named Peter, she enlists the help of her best friend Courtney (Christina Applegate) and the duo embark upon a road trip to win Peter back.
Applegate In Top Form
Most of The Sweetest Thing plays out like a standard road trip movie, with Courtney and Christina encountering various wacky characters and awkward encounters as they leap from one set-piece to another. Meanwhile, Selma Blair’s Jane engages in a few high-stakes intimate escapades with her boyfriend back home, which humorously results in a call to emergency services. While many elements of the film are fairly simple and formulaic, Christina Applegate serves as a major highlight, offering one of the funniest feature film performances of her career.
Paves The Way For Future Road Trip Comedies
Despite Applegate’s excellence, The Sweetest Thing failed to wow critics, resulting in a paltry 26 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Though the decades-old film has largely been forgotten by modern audiences, the general audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is much higher, clocking in at 65 percent with over 100,000 ratings. As far as straightforward comedy films go, this 2002 outing is still worth a watch, as it sets the tone for a number of road trip comedies to come throughout the mid 2000s.
Stream The Sweetest Thing On Netflix
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If you’re interested in catching The Sweetest Thing today, the film can be streamed right now on Netflix. Just be sure to bring protection- by which I of course mean a coaster for your cold beverage and a secure password for your Netflix account.
