THE SWEETEST THING

At the end of the press screening, a fellow reviewer said to me that this film suggested a new classification: No admittance to anyone over 25! This is a film that reflects the lives of well-off singles clubbers, successful in their careers, casual in their relationships, verging on 30 and wondering if they will find fulfilment.

Cameron Diaz brings her usual zest to her role and sometimes her charm. Christina Applegate gives a more credible performance as her best friend, but it is impossible to believe Selma Blair as the promiscuous friend always getting herself into tangles. She looks far too serious and serious-minded to be this kind of woman.

The director is Roger Kimble who did a much more credible job in portraying self-centred, principle-less young adults in his remake of Dangerous Liaisons, Cruel Intentions. This time the screenplay has been written by one of the writers of South Park so it is full of crass jokes and songs (the penis song was cut from the American theatre release) which make sense in a full on satire but which seem oafish in a film which tries, ultimately, to be loving and sweet. As an observer to this culture, it seems generally trivial and trying.