13. Lenore Case (The Green Hornet)
I'm not above complimenting a good thing where it's due, even if it exists within a movie like The Green Hornet, which I think is fun and creative enough on its own but does a horrible disservice to the source material. By extension, others like myself understandably feel a duty to disparage Cameron Diaz in this movie, but my point of view is quite the opposite. Lenore Case has a very interesting role in the movie with a lot to do, and Cameron Diaz plays it wonderfully. Sure, both Britt Reid and Kato are trying to get at Lenore. She faces their constant attempts at romance. But in the end, the three of them are just friendsa team. And she could have easily been written as just a secretary with a few good lines (in addition to pratfalls, a common default "comedy" element when it comes to women), but she legitimately has a great way to be introduced into the story and help create an excellent group dynamic. With a background in journalism and criminology, she inadvertently gives Britt and Kato cues on what to do. On the page, she holds her own comedically just as well as the other two, and Diaz has the talent to convey that perfectly. Lenore is great, and I think her characterization does the most justice to the Green Hornet mythos out of everyone in the movie, possibly going beyond what was laid out for the character in previous incarnations.