Brewster starred with Cameron Diaz and Christopher Eccleston in the independent drama "The Invisible Circus" (2001), portraying a grieving teenage girl who travels to Europe in 1976 in search of answers to the suicide of her older sister. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received a limited theatrical release. "The New York Times" felt that Brewster "can't summon a credible range of emotion" in her portrayal. Her breakthrough came afterwards in 2001, when she took on the role of Mia Toretto opposite Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in the street racing action film "The Fast and the Furious". As she did not have driver's license, she took driving lessons during production. Todd McCarthy of "Variety", in his review for the film, noted that Brewster did a "better job here than she did as a searching teen in the recent "The Invisible Circus"." The film was a commercial success, grossing over US$207 million worldwide.