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Many people, the studios included, like to make the straightforward correlation that a movie's opening weekend is directly linked to the appeal of the stars. If that's the case, then who gets credit for the $22.5 million Shallow Hal earned in its debut? It's unlikely that it's Paltrow, because this type of film and its audience couldn't care less about an Oscar sitting on her mantle. Her next venture into full-fledged comedy, View from the Top, would help to prove that conclusion. Some of the credit for Shallow Hal should be Black's because he at least had some recognition by the audience. The real "stars" of this film were the Farrelly Brothers themselves. Advertising it as "from the makers of Dumb and Dumber," was all this audience needed to hear. Regardless of who gets credit, all of the players, including Gwyneth Paltrow, had hit on their hands with a final gross of $70.8 million on a budget of $40 million.

Just a month later, Paltrow's trip on the comedy train wasn't quite at its destination as she appeared in the Royal Tenenbaums. The quintessential quirk of Wes Anderson was on full display in his film about an awkwardly dysfunctional wealthy family. As the daughter, Paltrow was essentially one branch of this tragically fractured family tree that is Anderson's specialty. The release of his films follow the indie route to the letter with a very limited release and then the buildup to more and more screens as critical reception and audience demand dictates. Therefore, you can't use the opening weekend barometer as the guide for some of her post-Oscar films, despite the Tenenbaums raking in $52.3 million.

Aside from the flameout that was Duets, Paltrow was following a smart path to blend ensemble parts with featured roles.

For Paltrow, 2002's Possession followed The Royal Tenenbaums and for a film that never hit too far north of 600 screens, it carried a surprising $25 million budget. Sadly, the Neil LaBute drama never cracked the top ten, with a debut of $1.6 million and final of $10.1 million. Possession is another example of Paltrow taking roles in films that interest her as opposed to cashing in. This is evidenced in the fact that Possession was her only film released in 2002 and the report that she declined the lead role in The Ring, which would end up grossing $128.6 million in the same year as Possession fizzled. Only three years after winning an Oscar, she was taking parts she found personally appealing and skewed the usual path of Oscar winners who take the next big paycheck for films of questionable to downright pathetic quality. We're looking at you, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Halle Berry.

Appearances can be deceiving, though, and Paltrow subjected audiences to her own Chill Factor and Catwoman in the form of 2003's View from the Top. For a hefty paycheck of a reported $10 million, she starred in the flighty flight attendant comedy that sat on the shelves for two years before what was essentially a cameo appearance in theaters. Opening to $7 million, thanks in large part to the prominence of Mike Myers in the ads, View from the Top would end with $15.1 million. That's correct: View from the Top barely made more than it paid its star. I will avoid any and all "crash and burn" metaphors because that would be tactless.

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