Girls just want to have fun—and sometimes that means having sex with a man in a purple elephant costume.
Before movies like Bridesmaids and Girls Trip proved that women breaking bad could lead to box office gold, Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair came together for 2002's The Sweetest Thing. Though it starred Hollywood's golden girl, this wasn't your grandparents' rom-com, rather it was a raunchy romp featuring a glory hole and a musical number about penises written by South Park veteran Nancy Pimental. Think Nancy Meyers gone wild.
Diaz and Applegate starred as best friends who embark on a wild road trip after Christina (Diaz) meets her potential soul mate at a club. Hijinks, including movie montage-inspired makeovers, a penis piercing-induced medical emergency and the aforementioned purple elephant costume, ensue.
The response to The Sweetest Thing after its April 12 debut was anything but, with critics panning the crass and campy movie and audiences failing to show up at the box office. But in the past 20 years, it has amassed a cult following, with Diaz telling Entertainment Weekly in 2018 that people still approach her about The Sweetest Thing.
"You know what's really funny about this movie is I get people who come up to me often and they'll be like, 'Oh my God, The Sweetest Thing is my favorite movie,'" she said. "It's not like anybody comes up to me and says, 'Oh yeah, I love that movie.' It's like, when they reference it or say something to me about it, it's always, 'No, but it's my favorite movie.' I'm always like, 'Wow. All right, I know you now. I know you.' I love it."
In honor of the movie's 20th anniversary, check out these behind-the-scenes facts you might not know about The Sweetest Thing. Warning, some are a little NSFW:
The Sweetest Thing is streaming on Netflix.