For the very first time...

Rating: Null/10 (6 June 2002)

...I have found myself watching a film almost purely because Cameron Diaz is enjoyable.
This is not a regular occurence for me, mostly because her roles tend to consist, recently, of wiggling of posteriors and killer smiles. Nothing wrong with these things, of course, but when they comprise the entirety of a performance, I just stop wanting to watch. That said, this is a remarkable and refreshing change, and I'm overjoyed to see that Diaz *can* act -- and to see her being given a *chance* to. Her entire performance here is a revelation, and a lovely one.
Cruise, on the other hand, is his usual self; once again, he tries to follow the Pacino school of flail-around-and-yell-throat-wreckingly, which works just fine when Pacino does it himself, but falls flat when someone lacks the great man's ability. Which Cruise, sadly, does. It may have been the script, or it may have been just him (which I'm inclined to believe), but I failed to develop any empathy (or, for that matter, any *liking*) for the man during the entire two hours or so. Someone down below referred to the character as a 'shallow dickweed', and I'll heartily concur. Penelope Cruz, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as bad as I'd expected, so perhaps it all balances out in the end.
Did this movie leave me guessing at the end? Heck no; not to give anything away, but the entire story is neatly (if a little cheaply) within the last fifteen minutes of the film. Are there great moments of tedium? Not particularly -- at least, from my perspective; it's quite possible that there *were* some, and I whiled my way through them by looking forward to some more psycho-terror Cameron Diaz.
All in all, I found it a surprisingly enjoyable movie, but not, in my opinion, comparible with Fight Club.