The Sweetest Thing

REVIEW
What do you get when you take a screenplay by a "South Park" writer and try to mix elements of There's Something about Mary and "Sex and the City"? Based on the results of the unfunny and unrealized "The Sweetest Thing," the answer is: a disaster in the making. Attempting to combine the gross-out hijinks of Mary and the sexual politics of the hit HBO show, writer Nancy M. Pimenthal and director Kumble demonstrate little comic flair in this story of a manizing beauty (Diaz) who meets Mr. Right (the handsome Jane), but has trouble connecting. Along the way, she commiserates with her best friend (Applegate) about being single, in between various jokes that lack punch or punchline. The Sweetest Thing is bad not because of its tastelessness, but because it fails to either set up or follow through on a joke. Gross and stupid aren't funny in themselves. The only sweet things here are that Applegate can finally say goodbye to her "Married with Children" persona, and Jane is a most appealing comedic leading man.