4. Courtney - The Sweetest Thing (2002)
Classic case of good performance, shame about the movie. The Sweetest Thing is a raucous, R-rated comedy that forgets to bring the laughs. It was met with extreme critical derision on release, and managed only a paltry $68 million at the box-office. Given that it also featured Cameron Diaz at the height of her powers, that's not much of a return. That said, the trio at the film's centre, Diaz, Applegate and Selma Blair, all try really hard and with better writing might have been onto something. The film's racier tone allows Applegate to cut loose, underlining her ability to pack snark behind dialogue. The character's (a 20-something divorce lawyer) not overly likable, but there's a gutsy brazenness to the turn that comes off as endearing. She's good with a put-down and fertile comic cynicism rolls off her, this weak Sex & The City clone just never purposes it correctly.