Now don't get me wrong, I think Zooey Deschanel is one of the better young actresses around.
BUT a majority of her roles: 500 Days of Summer, Gigantic, Yes Man, and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy are all of a similar quality. The troubled, quirky girl who manages to repair the broken soul of a lonely guy. Whether she be Summer, Allison, Happy or Trillian, Ms. Deschanel has become a proven commodity in indie features and the mainstream, but she has also become repetitive.
The quirky actress has become what Winona Ryder was circa 1990's. The obtainable girl for introverted guys in films that have budgets lower than most airport McDonalds. We all know how that turned out for Ryder, but here is hoping that Deschanel does not suffer the same fate.
More recently, she has joined David Gordon Green's Your Highness. A film about an arrogant, lazy prince (Danny McBride) who must complete a quest to save his father's kingdom. Joining him on the quest is his more heroic brother (James Franco). Deschanel plays Belladonna, Franco's virginal bride. Now Gordon Green certainly has a flair for writing, his stoner hit Pineapple Express was one of the most hilarious films of 2008 and I think that if anyone can provide a different role for her it's Green.