Whatever Became Of Christina Ricci?

I've no idea if anyone even gives a damn about poor Christina Ricci's career any more, but she's been on my mind recently because Black Snake Moan is part of my not-as-epic-as-it-should-be 'evolution of the Southern heroine' essay. So as I was kinda-working-but-kinda-not and wandered onto her IMDb profile, I came across this piece of news.

"I am thinking Christina Ricci got the better deal here," writes Brad Brevet. Well, compared to poor, continually undervalued Maria Bello, that seems to be true (Maria being married to Kevin James is on an Embeth Davidtz being married to Anthony Hopkins level of absurdity), but it's a sad day when Christina Ricci has to settle for an Adam Sandler porn comedy. Indeed, Ricci's career seems to have got lost somewhere- her only films of note (let's not mention Anything Else, shall we?) in the '00s have been Monster, in which she was quite terrible; Speed Racer, in which she had fuck all to do; and Black Snake Moan. The latter of which is easily the best role she's had since her finest one to date in Don Roos' acidic comedy The Opposite of Sex back in 1998. And what else is she known for beyond the obvious Wednesday Addams? I'd wager that gothic little girl remains the thing most people know her for.

It probably doesn't help that she doesn't seem to have grown up. She may play an intensely sexual nymphomaniac (I'm guessing nymphomaniacs generally are intensely sexual) in Black Snake Moan, but once Samuel L. Jackson has chained and tamed her she's back to her incredibly tiny girlishness in a flowery dress and she could be back in 1995. And now she, devoid of box office clout (not that she ever had it in the first place), is stuck with the 'supportive girlfriend' parts like Speed Racer or this porn comedy, Born to be a Star. Her other upcoming projects don't seem any more promising:

• All's Faire in Love, a Renaissance faire comedy (um, okay)
• After.Life, a schlocky-sounding horror (although the director's only other work seems well-regarded, so who knows- dreadful title though)
• The Hero of Color City, an animated movie about a box of crayons (words fail me)
• Alpha and Omega, another werewolf movie (see exhibit A)
• and Long Time Gone, a potentially-promising (but possibly not-happening) family drama with Anjelica Huston.

She seems to have two 'personas' that the industry, at least, views her as being interesting as: the dangerously sexual, manipulative young woman, or the horrifying, pale-faced 'other'. Her bug-eyes may remind of Bette Davis but do parts like those Bette played even exist any more? Is there room for an 'unconventional' beauty in Hollywood today? Ricci is too small to be intimidating, seemingly too oddball for the mainstream. And yet that seems to be what she's continuing to chase. She may have thrown a more challenging part like Black Snake Moan in there, but that's the exception rather than the rule. Her career, ultimately, seems to be less chasing mainstream success than really having no idea what to do with herself.

And that, my friends, is really quite sad. [Next week on 'Whatever Became Of...': Winona Ryder. (I may or may not be joking.)]