Cameron Diaz Movies: The 15 Best Movies Ranked From Worst to Best
From model to actress Cameron Diaz rose to fame and recognition in the 1990s and beyond with a series of outstanding performances. In recent years, she has surprisingly disappeared from the public eye. Her last film role was in the somewhat disastrous 2014 remake of the Broadway musical “Annie.”
Diaz had a promising start to her career. Without any previous acting experience, she was given the female lead in Jim Carrey film “The Mask”. This film led to a number of other roles, but it was not until a few years later that she had a supporting role in the Julia Roberts Her film “My Best Friend’s Wedding” made her a real big name in the film business.
These roles led to even more recognition, earning her a total of four Golden Globe nominations, the New York Film Critics’ Best Actress Award (“There’s Something About Mary”), and three SAG Awards nominations. One strange aspect of Diaz’s career is that none of her Globe nominations (“Gangs of New York,” “There’s Something About Mary,” “Vanilla Sky,” and “Being John Malkovich”) earned her Oscar nominations. The last two were especially surprising, as she was also nominated for SAG Awards.
Despite her lack of success with Oscar voters, Diaz has a long list of successful films to her name. It’s a bit of a mystery why she hasn’t been on screen for the past five years. Her most recent role as Miss Hannigan, the menacing home director in the hip-hop-oriented “Annie” remake, earned her a Razzie nomination, but hopefully that won’t be her last big-screen role.
Check out our photo gallery above where we rank Diaz’s top 15 performances from worst to best.
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15. THE GREEN HORNET (2011)
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment/Kobal/Shutterstock
Director: Michel Gondry. Screenplay: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg. Cast: Seth Rogen, Christoph Waltz, David Harbour.
The Green Hornet is a superhero whose history stretches back to radio. He has appeared in various formats, including a television series in the 1960s. When he finally hit the big screen in this version that emphasized both comedy and heroics, the reaction was not so positive. Diaz plays the hero’s typical love interest.
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14. THE HOLIDAY (2006)
Image source: Simon Mein/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock
Director and screenwriter: Nancy Meyers. Cast: Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black.
“The Holiday” is a Christmas film by Nancy Meyers, who is best known for films such as “Something the Heart Desires” and “The Holidays”. The film follows two women, one in Los Angeles and one in the United Kingdom, who decide to swap houses over the holidays. The change of scenery gives each of them an insight into their own lives.
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13. A LIFE THAT IS NOT ORDINARY (1997)
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Director: Danny Boyle. Screenplay: John Hodge. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo.
Diaz starred in this third film from director Danny Boyle and his follow-up to the hugely successful Trainspotting. Unfortunately, the magic of that film didn’t translate to it and it wasn’t particularly well received. Diaz plays a kidnapping victim who is ensnared by two guardian angels to try to make her fall in love with her abductor.
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12. BAD TEACHER (2011)
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Director: Jake Kasdan. Screenplay: Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg. Cast: Jason Segal, Justin Timberlake, John Michael Higgins.
This comedy is pretty self-explanatory. Diaz plays a bad teacher. She hates her job and her career, but only stays in it because she wants to afford breast implants.
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11. THE SWEETEST THING (2002)
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Director: Roger Kumble. Screenplay: Nancy M. Pimental. Cast: Thomas Jane, Christina Applegate, Jason Bateman.
In this film, Diaz plays a woman who has trouble dating men and who often don’t treat her very well. She has to curb her habits when she finds a man she’s genuinely interested in.
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10. Every Sunday (1999)
Photo credit: Robert Zuckerman/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
Director: Oliver Stone. Screenplay: John Logan, Oliver Stone. Cast: Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid.
Oscar winner Oliver Stone turned his attention to the world of soccer with this film that shows the politics on and off the field that affect the game. Diaz plays the team owner’s aggressive daughter who has clear ideas about what should and shouldn’t be done to lead her father’s team.
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9. THREE CHARLIE’S ANGELS (2000)
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Director: McG. Screenplay: Ryan Rowe, Ed Solomon, John August. Cast: Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray.
The hugely successful 1970s TV series that made Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith TV icons was revived for the first time in this film version. Drew Barrymore co-produced the film, but generously gave her co-star Diaz the most prominent of the three roles. The film was a political statement, as the producers opposed the Angels using firearms or other weapons when solving crimes.
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8. IN HER SHOES (2005)
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Director: Curtis Hanson. Screenplay: Susannah Grant. Cast: Toni Collette, Shirley MacLaine, Anson Mount.
Diaz plays the more flamboyant and party-loving of the two sisters. Toni Collette plays the quieter, more prudish one. The two sisters have a contentious relationship that changes when the grandmother they’ve never met arrives on the scene. Shirley MacLaine was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the grandmother.
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7. THE MASK (1994)
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Director: Chuck Russell. Screenplay: Mike Werb. Cast: Jim Carrey, Peter Riegert, Amy Yasbeck.
Diaz was a model with no acting experience when she was cast as the female lead in this film starring Jim Carey. Diaz plays a glamorous jazz singer who meets Carey, who plays a mild-mannered bank teller who turns into a manic superhero when he puts on the titular “mask.”
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6. SHREK (2001)
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Director: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson. Screenplay: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, Roger SH Schulman. Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow.
Diaz lent her voice to one of Disney’s most popular films, “Shrek.” She plays Princess Fiona, a princess who is cursed and turns into an ogre every night. At first, she tries to break the curse by finding a handsome prince, but instead she falls in love with another ogre, the title character Shrek.
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5. GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002)
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Director: Martin Scorsese. Screenplay: Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, Kenneth Lonergan. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, John C. Reilly.
Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed drama about gang warfare in 19th century New York received ten Oscar nominations, but went home empty-handed at the ceremony. Diaz was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes for her role as a pickpocket with whom two of the main characters fall in love.
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4. VANILLA SKY (2001)
Photo credit: Neal Preston/Cruise-Wagner/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
Director and screenwriter: Cameron Crowe. Cast: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Kurt Russell.
Interestingly, in this remake of Alejandro Amenábar’s Spanish film Abre Los Ojos, Penelope Cruz was cast in the same role she played in the Spanish version. Diaz has a small but celebrated role as a woman who is in love with the main character and goes to extreme measures in the relationship. She received a Golden Globe and SAG nomination for the film, but failed to secure an Oscar nomination.
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3. MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING (1997)
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Director: PJ Hogan. Screenplay: Ronald Bass. Cast: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett.
Diaz’s star status was cemented with her supporting role in this romantic comedy with Julia Roberts. It’s a daunting task to win audience loyalty to Roberts, who was then at the height of her status as America’s sweetheart, but that’s exactly what Diaz accomplished. Roberts plays a woman whose college girlfriend wants to marry Diaz, but Roberts decides she wants to marry the guy and sets out to ruin the wedding.
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2. THERE’S Something About Mary (1998)
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Directed by: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly. Screenplay: Ed Decter, John J. Strauss, Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly. Cast: Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon, Lee Evans.
In this outrageous comedy, Diaz is the object of desire for a number of neurotic men. Diaz shines in this film and clearly shows what the title of the film means. There is really something about Mary. Diaz sent shockwaves through the awards circuit when she won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress. The comedy was not what people usually thought of as award-worthy. Diaz also received a Golden Globe nomination in the comedy category.
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1. Being John Malkovich (1999)
Photo credit: Melissa Moseley/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock
Director: Spike Jonze. Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman. Cast: John Cusack, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich.
This highly imaginative film tells the story of a file clerk who finds a portal that allows him to enter the mind of actor John Malkovich (playing himself). Diaz plays the file clerk’s unhappy wife, who becomes fascinated with the portal and begins an affair with a woman while inside Malkovich’s mind. Diaz was again nominated for Golden Globe and SAG awards, but lost out at the Oscars.
