Jennifer Jason Leigh becomes a junkie and falls in love with her partner, played by Jason Patric. Her next film, "Single White Female" (1992), was a surprise box-office success, bringing Leigh to her largest mainstream audience yet, portraying a mentally ill woman who terrorizes roommate Bridget Fonda. Leigh was awarded the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and nominated for Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress. Leigh co-starred with Kathy Bates as a tormented, pill-popping woman hiding a history of childhood sexual abuse in the adaptation of Stephen King's novel "Dolores Claiborne" (1995). Leigh achieved her greatest acclaim in the role
Jennifer Jason Leigh "Last Exit" in his list of Best Movies of 1990, calling Leigh's performance brave, though his review of "Miami Blues" was much less sympathetic, simultaneously criticizing Leigh's ability to play dumb roles and praising her ability to play smart roles. "Entertainment Weekly", in a backhanded compliment, called her "the Meryl Streep of bimbos". Leigh was then cast in her first mainstream Hollywood studio film, the firefighter drama "Backdraft" (1991), in which she played a more conventional role, the girlfriend of lead actor William Baldwin. Leigh found more success in the gritty crime drama "Rush" (1991), portraying an undercover cop who