Cameron Diaz turns 50 | Discover the BEST and WORST films of the star’s career

Model-turned-actress, then one of Hollywood’s biggest stars of international fame, Cameron Diaz turns 50 today, August 30. It seems like just yesterday that the actress burst onto the stage in stunning fashion at the age of 21 in the blockbuster The Mask (1994), alongside Jim Carrey, making one of the best debuts of the decade. and immediately demonstrating all his talent, singing and dancing, beyond comedy. In the 1990s, Diaz really exploded, collecting hits like My Best Friend’s Wedding and Who’s Going to Keep Mary?

Over the next decade, he took charge of some of the most profitable and beloved franchises of the time, such as Charlie’s Angels and the animated Shrek (where he voiced Princess Fiona). He also gained prestige by working with great directors such as Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Spike Jonze, Terry Gilliam and Danny Boyle. However, twenty years after his arrival with both feet in the door in Hollywood, the young star announced an early retirement. The negative critical performance of some of his latest films (particularly the three he released in 2014 – the last year he would star in a film so far) was a factor in the star’s departure. Another element that may have contributed to this 8-year hiatus was the emergence of early career erotic art in which Cameron Diaz appeared nude on video – coinciding with the release of one of his latest films, ironically titled Sex Tape.

Cameron Diaz fans, however, can start celebrating. The star has announced a new movie that will be released very soon. The properly named Back in Action (or “Back in Action”) is an action comedy written and directed by Seth Gordon, producer of this year’s hit, Lost City (starring Sandra Bullock), in which Diaz will again appear alongside by Jamie Foxx. . While the actress isn’t appearing on the big screen, killing fans and moviegoers alike, here we celebrate her birthday and honor her by pointing out the best and also the worst (as usual) films of her career. Check.

Ps. As always in the articles of this column, we conducted a survey of critics and the general public to take the average of the best and worst films. In other words, the list does not only express our opinion, but the general opinion.

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Directed by the late Curtis Hanson and based on the book by Jennifer Weiner, this film debuts the ranking of the best of the career of Cameron Diaz in fifth position. This comedy-drama is about the relationship between two very different sisters. Diaz is Maggie, a reckless party girl who avoids responsibility. Oscar nominee Toni Collette is Rose, a serious and responsible woman who doesn’t agree with her sister’s lifestyle. Their dynamic is interrupted by the arrival of the grandmother they never knew existed, played by veteran Shirley MacLaine.

With this super production which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2022, Cameron Diaz had the chance to take a big step in his career, and to gain even more prestige. It turns out that here the star stripped of all her glamor to play a prostitute and street thief in early New York City, gives it her all in her acting, and still works alongside true holy monsters, like Martin Scorsese (director), and Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio (who also rose to become what he is today) in the cast. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture.

Few actors interpret such a remarkable first work and immediately in a super production. It’s an honor for few. But in Cameron Diaz’s case, his debut is still one of the most beloved films on his resume, nearly thirty years later. Diaz was a model, and appeared on stage at the age of 21 as Tina Carlyle, cabaret singer and bandit’s girlfriend, who redeems herself and moves alongside the good protagonist played by Jim Carrey. Think Margot Robbie in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) to understand how great Diaz was here. Other than that, The Mask was one of the movies that helped cement the CGI-based entertainment blockbusters we have today.

After The Mask, some of Cameron Diaz’s hits were in the rom-com genre, like My Best Friend’s Wedding, a film that unites him with the legendary Julia Roberts. However, Diaz would remain for a short time as a supporting actor, and by the end of the same decade she was already the protagonist of this completely politically incorrect romantic comedy. What made a difference in Diaz’s career compared to other girls in movies like this. With that long stomach ache with laughter, the actress showed she can laugh at herself and poke fun at the drooling faces of the opposite sex – showing that women can be just as sour as men when it comes to humor .

Although she has films in which her exuberant beauty shines through in her top 5 best (see The Mask and Who’s Going With Mary?), Cameron Diaz has also shown versatility when it comes to choosing her projects and to dress certain characters. Although she did in Gangs of New York, her character was still crafted in sensuality. Completely naked element here in this Spike Jonze film, in which many may not even recognize the actress as Lotte, the good vet wife of the villain played by John Cusack. The cult film climbed the podium with the gold medal for Best Picture by Actress and received three Oscar nominations.

Here in the list, we have chosen to include only live-action productions with Cameron Diaz, that is, films in which the actress participates in the flesh, and not only by giving her voice. to an animation. But we could not fail to include two of the greatest successes of the star’s career, always very dear to the general public and to critics. The first Shrek (2001) was a real phenomenon, demonstrating that animations intended for the little ones could contain more acidic content that subverted that presented by the wise Disney, and by way of conclusion demystifying it and creating a school. Three years later, the producers did it again with Shrek 2 (2004) – hailed as being as good, if not better, than the original. The next two sequels, however, fell short of expectations in this regard.

It’s always more interesting when we include films known to the general public in any list. But here, opening the top 5 worst of Cameron Diaz’s career, we have this one of the most obscure productions on his resume. Anyway, at that time, the actress had already made important films such as Qui va avec Marie? and even the first Charlie’s Angels, for example. Here, based on a book, the drama features Jordana Brewster fresh out of Final Exam (1998) and on the verge of fame with the first Fast and the Furious (2001). She plays the younger sister of Cameron Diaz, determined to find her sister across Europe, who left home years ago and may be involved in criminal acts.

A romantic comedy in the style of “girls just want to have fun”, this film completes 20 years from its debut in 2022, and was the feature Cameron Diaz played between Charlie’s Angels and Charlie’s Angels Rocking. Just like in the Secret Agents movie, Diaz has two on-screen partners here, but with very different goals. Or almost. Alongside the actress, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair experience the adventures of the world of relationships while chasing after a good partner of the opposite sex. This, however, is a rom-com that uses slightly more acidic content than expected.

One of Cameron Diaz’s final five works to date, this work celebrates ten years since its release in 2022. It is a remake of the 1966 heist comedy How to Own Lissu, which starred Shriley MacLaine and Michael Caine in the lead roles of The Thieves. In the new version, with a screenplay by none other than the Coen brothers, Diaz takes on the female lead, and Oscar winner Colin Firth takes Caine’s place. The remake, however, was quickly ostracized and here it is in third position of the worst films of the actress’s career.

Speaking of obscure movies in star Cameron Diaz’s career, in second place in the top 5 worst on his CV is justifiably one of the most misunderstood by the general public. However, this dramatic comedy with criminal accents does not lack “pedigree”. Despite being the oldest film on the worst list, Diaz was fresh off the smash hit The Mask (1994). And it seemed like a very good bet to put her up against another hot star of the moment: muse Keanu Reeves. The actor was also coming out of a mega hit of the time, the action thriller Maximum Speed, which had transformed him into a star. The plot features Reeves as a loser who steals his brother’s bride (diaz role) on their wedding day. It was common in those days to feature hateful protagonists and ask us to sympathize with them.

01 | Sex Tape: Lost in the Cloud (2014)

At the forefront of the worst films of Cameron Diaz’s career according to critics and audiences is the penultimate work released by the actress in theaters. And a production that is partly responsible for the departure of the star from the spotlight for almost ten years. As said, along with the release of this movie, which somehow predicted the leaking of intimate videos of several Hollywood celebrities, telling the story of a couple who make a sex video that ends up leaking online, the Actress Cameron Diaz has seen a resurgence from an early career job where she modeled nude – and which she thought was gone forever. To give you an idea, Cameron Diaz is so far from the cinema that he still hasn’t caught the wave of super productions released directly in streaming. The actress can easily be seen in some works for Netflix or some TV series. What do you think?

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