Kate Beckinsale appearance of 2001 was in the romantic comedy "Serendipity" as the love interest of John Cusack. It was filmed directly after "Pearl Harbor" and Beckinsale found it "a real relief to return to something slightly more familiar." Turan praised the "appealing and believable" leads, adding that Beckinsale "reinforces the strong impression she made in "Cold Comfort Farm", "The Golden Bowl", and "The Last Days of Disco"" after "recovering nicely" from her appearance in the much-maligned "Pearl Harbor". Claudia Puig of "USA Today" felt that "Beckinsale's talents haven't been mined as effectively in any other film since "Cold Comfort Farm"." McCarthy
Kate Beckinsale found her "energetic and appealing" while Elvis Mitchell of "The New York Times" described her as "luminous but determined." In an uncomplimentary review of the film, Ebert described her as "a good actress, but not good enough to play this dumb." The film has grossed over $77 million at the worldwide box office. In 2002 Beckinsale starred in Lisa Cholodenko's "Laurel Canyon" as a strait-laced academic who finds herself increasingly attracted to her free-spirited future mother-in-law. The independent film was another opportunity for Beckinsale to work with Christian Bale, her "Prince of Jutland" co‑star. She found their sex scene awkward