The Sirens of Summer

These actresses have long been seducing us with their talent and charisma. Now they're the main attractions of this year's hot-weather entertainment. Michael Atkinson explains what makes them worth skipping a day at the beach for.

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Cameron Diaz

(CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULLTHROTTLE)

Whatever dues we may pay in this microwave-ready pop culture of ours, one of our most bountiful rewards has been the coltish high spirits, shake 'n' bake booty, and bewitchingly stadium-sized grin of Cameron Diaz. Though as beautiful as any woman alive (that was a problem with Vanilla Sky right there--would even Tom Cruise kick this goddess out of bed?), Diaz cannot ever be mistaken for a mere dollface. You can see her fifth-gear mental engine revving at all times, and one of late Hollywood's richest gags has been watching Diaz-- whether in There's Something About Mary, My Best Friend's Wedding or the first Charlie's Angels--play the sugar-coated bubblehead while barely suppressing an ironic cackle.

One thing is certain: no one who has seen Diaz boogie through the "Soul Train" episode in the first Angels movie will ever forget it. Hopefully, the sequel's engineers recognized the distinctive élan and ass-slapping vim of that scene and will capitalize in the new film on Diaz's ability to slip us into her skin-tight-slacks back pocket and make us believe there's nowhere we'd rather be.

Charlize Theron

(THE ITALIAN JOB)

Theron is a peculiar case: never has she been less than remarkable and heartbreakingly lovely, and yet she struggles to get noticed amid the leggy cat-eyed starlet throng. Having made over 20 movies since she startled everyone by opening her endless gams as wide as the anamorphic frame can handle in 2 Days in the Valley, Theron is more beloved, it seems, by filmmakers than film-viewers. Producers and directors adore her because she's versatile and unwaveringly sympathetic--in addition to her trademarked sweet victim (The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules, The Astronaut's Wife), she has done time as a neo-noir femme (Reindeer Games), a blue-collar Goth-ess (The Yards), a New Agey flibbertigibbet (Sweet November) and a rabid Mom (Trapped). Most of these films were underseen, and of the many Americans who enjoyed The Cider House Rules, how many could name Theron?

The Italian Job--an outlandish heist thriller based on a 1969 British classic--may be Theron's launching pad into the universal consciousness. For one thing, she's the only chick surrounded by venal men, a role upgraded from the original film for Theron's sake. If the movie slaps half the smile across audiences that Ocean's 11 did, then it'll be a vital step in a remarkable career devoid of missteps but as yet underappreciated. If not, her next project will come across like a justifiable spit-gob in the eye: Monster, in which Theron plays real-life female serial killer/death-row inmate Aileen Wuornos. That'll teach us.

Jennifer Connelly

(THE HULK)

Taking the girlfriend role in a new version of The Hulk after winning an Oscar the year before is something an actress could only be persuaded to do in the new millennium. (Can you imagine Faye Dunaway opting to play a comic-book love interest after her Best Actress win for Network?) Nevertheless, Jennifer Connelly needs the exposure--possibly the most beautiful woman on the globe at the present moment, she's been around (as an adult) for almost 15 years and has yet to become a star. The reason is unclear, except for the fact that only recently (since 2000, with_ Waking the Dead, Requiem for a Dream, Pollock_ and A Beautiful Mind) has Connelly departed the shores of the Merely Breathtaking and become a three-dimensional actress capable of fleshy drama and, consequently, audience involvement. A big, fat, cheesy blockbuster might push her over the top, regardless of the size or quality of her part.

Jennifer Aniston

(BRUCE ALMIGHTY)

Jennifer Aniston had difficulty proving she was more than Rachel from "Friends" until last year's The Good Girl. She carried the mini-scenario about a Midwestern girl caught in romantic crossfire with aplomb. But why is this the best Aniston--the most beloved, lusted-after and well-married TV comedienne at work today--can get? Her filmography more or less began with a series of so-so romantic comedies (Picture Perfect, 'Til There Was You, The Object of My Affection), the disappointment of which caused Aniston to retreat to occasional supporting bits (Office Space, Rock Star) and thrive on the small tube alone. With Bruce Almighty, in which she's the resilient woman in Jim Carrey's life as it's being turned upside down by God-like powers, Aniston could stake her claim on filmgoers' attention. Costarring with Jim Carrey can be like sharing a bed with a herd of panicking buffalo--it's decidedly difficult to make oneself seen or heard. Those who attempt it expect little more than a paycheck. But it could also be an opportunity for Aniston to become a movie star. If she holds her own against Carrey's shitstorm and manages to register as a big-screen personality, Aniston could walk away with the brass ring this summer.

Halle Berry

(X2)

The career of Hilary Swank should be indicative enough of the non-guarantee of career elevation stamped across every Best Actress winner, and Halle Berry knows it--why else would she follow up Monster's Ball with a Bond movie? To emote and get nasty with Billy Bob Thornton isn't enough; you have to make nice in Blockbuster-ville as well. So, Berry's got her game on and bases covered with the X-Men franchise, which will likely--hopefully--make more room for her Storm in this and subsequent sequels. Wacky wig aside, she has got more leading-lady holding power than the rest of them and seems to be the likely candidate for a future, honest-to-God inter-_X-men_ romance.

The truth, though, is it doesn't matter to Berry's career whether X2 is a hit or not--she has offers lined up for years (next: the prison drama Gothika with Penelope Cruz). And besides that, Berry is one of America's leading sex goddesses (a rep cemented by her topless sunbathing scene in Swordfish--talk about shock and awe) so it'll be a long time before her career comes close to winding down.

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