[VIDEO REVIEWS]You've Come a Long, Long Way, Renee

Renee Zellweger was an unknown name (not to mention a nearly unspellable one) in the movie industry until she appeared opposite Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire" in 1996. That runaway success led to a spate of films, including the recent "Bridget Jones's Diary."

JERRY MAGUIRE (1996)

Directed by Cameron Crowe. Starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Zellweger.

Jerry Maguire (Cruise), a slick sports agent, has a revelation: His life is shallow and his job is not the most moral. In a sudden desire for integrity, he writes a memo about his new outlook and shares it with his coworkers. For this burst of good-conscience, he is promptly fired.

When he leaves, an accountant, Dorothy (Zellweger), a single mother, goes with him instead of staying with the agency. All of his clients drop him except for Rod Tidwell (Gooding), an underachieving wide receiver. Maguire breaks up with his fiance, and starts on a long road to learning about love and friendship.

THE BACHELOR (1999)

Directed by Gary Sinyor. Starring Chris O'Donnell, Zellweger, Brooke Shields and Artie Lange.

"The Bachelor" begins with a herd of wild horses while the song "Don't Fence Me In" plays in the background. The movie is about the commitment-phobic Jimmy (O'Donnell), who is dating Anne (Zellweger), a photographer he met moments after breaking up with another woman. The couple seems happy, but Jimmy botches up the relationship. Meanwhile, his rich grandfather dies, leaving him $100 million.

There's a catch. Jimmy has to get married in 24 hours if he wants the inheritance. If he fails, the family business and its staff will go under.

Jimmy contacts a slew of ex-girlfriends, including one played by Brooke Shields. His pal, Marco (Lange), tries to help by sending in for a newspaper ad featuring a mugshot of Jimmy, and the amount of the inheritance. Soon enough, Jimmy is stalked by a slew of potential brides, but none is Mrs. Right.

NURSE BETTY (2000)

Directed by Neil LaBute. Starring Zellweger, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear.

A screwball comedy that stars Zellweger as Betty, a Kansas waitress obsessed with soap operas. One night, she witnesses the murder of her husband (Eckhart), a sleazy used car salesman. Betty is so traumatized that she retreats into a dream world where she is the long-lost love of her favorite soap opera character, Dr. David Ravell (Kinnear).

Betty drives to Los Angeles to "reunite" with the doctor, blissfully unaware that the two murders (Freeman and Rock) are hot on her heels. The car she is driving, a 1997 Buick LeSabre, has a stash of drugs in the trunk.

by Joe Yong-hee