When Cameron Diaz starred opposite Jim Carrey in The Mask, she proved she was a force to be reckoned with in the comedy world. After that 1994 introduction to her sense of humor and timing, she easily slipped into numerous roles in the genre — from the titular character in the raunchy There's Something About Mary, to a key supporting player in rom-com My Best Friend's Wedding and the off-beat Being John Malkovich (for which she received a BAFTA Award nomination), to one-fourth of the rom-com quartet in The Holiday.

She dabbled in dramas, including Vanilla Sky, Gangs of New York, and My Sister's Keeper, and in action flicks through the high-octane Charlie's Angels early-aughts franchise. But comedy proved to be a sweet spot for her throughout, and even when she voiced a princess in the animated, fairy-tale inspired Shrek franchise, it came with its own special brand of wit.

From The Holiday to friendship/dating comedy The Sweetest Thing, Diaz has also had the honor of being a part of some cult classics in her two-and-a-half decade-long career.

She announced that she retired from acting in 2018, which made her 2014 turn as Hannigan in Will Gluck's version of Annie her last film role for quite some time. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she did appear as a version of herself in Zoë Bell's short, Boss Bitch Fight Challenge, and perhaps it was enough to give her the itch to make a triumphant return to performing on a larger scale because she teamed up with Jamie Foxx for a forthcoming Netflix film titled Back In Action. An apt title for her comeback, no?

For now, you can look back on Diaz's career with her top 10 films, ranked by Metascore.

Being John Malkovich

Metascore: 90
Best for: Fans of genre-bending comedies and fictionalized looks at Hollywood
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John Malkovich stars as a version of himself in Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman's Oscar-nominated fantastical comedy that sees his character get taken over by a puppeteer named Craig (played by John Cusack). When Craig discovers a portal to the inner mind of the actor, he is able to put his puppeteer skills to the ultimate test, which results in both men being deeply changed. Diaz plays Lotte, Craig's wife who also has an awakening because of the portal.

"A clever and outrageous piece of whimsical fantasy that is unique, unpredictable and more than a little strange." — Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Shrek

Metascore: 84
Best for: Fans of fairy tales, romantic comedies, and unexpected relationship stories
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The 2001 start to the CGI-animated Shrek franchise follows the eponymous ogre (voiced by Mike Myers) as he travels with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) to Lord Farquaad's (John Lithgow) land to complain about Farquaad's displacement of a number of creatures, who have now taken up residence in Shrek's swamp. On his journey, he gets caught up in Farquaad's plan to have Princess Fiona (Diaz) rescued from her castle so he can marry her, only for Shrek and Fiona to make a connection instead. The film won the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2002.

"An adorable, infectious work of true sophistication." — Jami Bernard, Daily News

Minority Report

Metascore: 80
Best for: Fans of crime dramas, futuristic science-fiction, and ethical conundrums 
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Steven Spielberg's 2002 futuristic, science-fiction drama is centered on John Anderton (Tom Cruise), a man who "Precogs" (clairvoyants who work with the police to stop criminals before they actually commit their crimes) say is about to commit a murder. John is the pre-crime department's commanding officer, and he sets out on his own to figure out what is going on in the program before he is taken down. Diaz has a very quick cameo in a scene where John gets on a train. The film is based on Philip K. Dick's short story of the same title. More than a decade later, the story was turned into a one-season network television procedural. 

"A virtuoso high-wire act, daring so much, achieving it with such grace and skill." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

In a World...

Metascore: 79
Best for: Fans of power struggles, especially between family members, and smart takes on Hollywood
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Lake Bell wrote, directed, and stars in this 2013 independent film about a Carol, vocal coach for Hollywood voice actors, who struggles to make a name for herself in the field her father has excelled in. When a bit of being in the right place at the right time lands Carol a coveted opportunity, the film opens up to explore gender imbalances in the industry, in addition to complex relationships between a father and a daughter, and some budding romantic relationships. Diaz has a cameo as a version of herself in the movie-within-the-movie on which Carol is hoping to get a job.

"It...has a sharply observant streak that makes it as nourishing as it is endearingly nutty." — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post

Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her

Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of relationship-driven dramas and female-focused storytelling
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Rodrigo García made his directorial debut with this vignette-driven drama. Made up of five individual stories that share themes around life, family, and love, the film spotlights five female characters who are experiencing emotional highs and lows. Kathy (Amy Brenneman), for instance, is a detective working on a possible death by suicide case, while her sister, Carol (Diaz), gets romantically involved with someone else working on the case. Other notable stars include Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Kathy Baker, and Calista Flockhart.

"This observant, emotionally acute drama is distinguished by a pronounced poetic sensibility." — Todd McCarthy, Variety

Shrek 2

Metascore: 75
Best for: Fans of family-friendly animation, fairy tales, and satirical comedy
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In the sequel to Shrek, the titular character and Fiona are now married and getting ready to attend a royal ball to celebrate their union. This requires a new journey — to a kingdom called Far Far Away where Fiona's parents are not-so-pleasantly surprised to learn their daughter and her husband are ogres. Fearing he might lose Fiona due to her parents' rejection, Shrek acquires a potion to change his form, resulting in important lessons about love and acceptance.

"A gentle fairy tale for kids and a raft of mildly satirical pop-culture references for parents." — J.R. Jones, Reader

Shrek the Halls

Metascore: 73
Best for: Fans of heart-warming holiday tales and family-friendly animation
Where to watch: Not currently streaming
Runtime: 21 minutes

After the Shrek trilogy was released in theaters, the characters got the smaller-screen holiday special treatment in this 2007 half-hour animated comedy. It might be a cheat to include it here since it is a short film, but the franchise is so beloved we couldn't ignore it! In it, Shrek returns to Far Far Away to try to find the perfect present for Fiona and Donkey brings their friends to the swamp. Through the telling of stories, starting new traditions, and (of course) a Santa sighting, Shrek learns about the true meaning of the holiday season.

"A holiday special done right." — Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly

Gangs of New York

Metascore: 72
Best for: Fans of period pieces and crime dramas
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Martin Scorsese's Oscar-nominated film is set in the late 1800s when the feud between Catholic and Protestant gangs comes to a head over a long-awaited plan for revenge. Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) watched his father, the leader of the Protestant gang, get killed when he was just a boy, and nearly two decades later he comes back to the area to take down the killer, William Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis). Although his motives are deeply personal, the story is also a look at the immigrant fight at the time. Diaz plays a criminal named Jenny Everdeane who both Amsterdam and his friend Johnny Sirocco (Henry Thomas) are interested in, romantically.

"Stunning, and it has the added bonus of being about an era that is virtually new to movies." — Peter Rainer, Vulture

There's Something About Mary

Metascore: 69
Best for: Fans of love-quadrangles, raunchy humor, and ill-advised actions in the name of infatuation
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Bobby and Peter Farrelly's raunchy rom-com stars Ben Stiller as Ted Stroehmann, a man who has been hopelessly in love with Mary Jensen (Diaz) since they were in high school. He didn't get his big prom date with her back then due to an unfortunate accident, but more than a decade later he decides to track her down. Unfortunately for him, his luck is still not great, as the P.I. (Matt Dillon) he hires to do so lies to him about her because he becomes obsessed with her, too. Things get even wackier from there, as they're not the only ones fixated on Mary, and Ted, specifically, gets in some sticky (and dangerous) situations when trying to pursue her.

"Just the thing to shake up the creeping conservatism that is draining the vulgar life out of pop culture." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

In Her Shoes

Metascore: 60
Best for: Fans of complicated family dramas and adaptations
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Susannah Grant adapted this dramedy from Jennifer Weiner's novel of the same title. Directed by Curtis Hanson, the film follows polar-opposite sisters Maggie (Diaz) and Rose (Toni Collette) who have a strained relationship that only grows more intense when they live together for a short time. After discovering correspondence and gifts from their grandmother (Shirley MacLaine), they have to confront challenges in their relationship, their family, and themselves.

"Maintains a breezy charm throughout and contains many extremely funny sequences." — Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle