Renee Z.

I consider her a sort of hit-or-miss actress. I couldn't stand her in "Leatherheads," for example, and found her hard to watch in "Chicago" (maybe because of her being juxtaposed with the sizzlingly gorgeous Zeta-Jones) and her mawkish role in "Jerry Maguire". Her squinty eyes can make me feel uncomfortable, and sometimes her croaky voice gets on my nerves. I couldn't get into Bridgit Jones, but liked her in the sequel, which I saw last night, maybe because there was a "halo effect" from having watched "Cold Mountain" earlier in the evening.
But I ADORED her in this role. To me, she was the highlight of the film. Everyone in it was excellent but I loved her scenes the most. To the person who wrote on this site that Ruby was portrayed as being too broadly drawn, maybe that is true in contrast with the character in the novel, but living in South Carolina, and having spent considerable time in N. Carolina, I can tell you this character STILL EXISTS here in the flesh. Women who talk, think, and act like Ruby are far from scarce. I found her completely authentic and totally refreshing.